


Sprinkles

by The_Nerd_Alert



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angry Sex, Artist Steve Rogers, Autoerotic Asphyxiation, Baker Steve Rogers, Barebacking, Biting, Bottom Steve Rogers, Breaking Up & Making Up, Bridezilla, Bucky is single, Bullying, Butt Plugs, Butt Slapping, Choking, Cuddling, Cupcakes, Cyber Bullying, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Falling In Love, Garter Belt, Glasses, Good Guy Brock, Grinding, Hair-pulling, Hands Free Orgasm, Happy Ending, Heavy Petting, Inappropriate use of frosting, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Make up sex, Male lace underwear, Mechanic Bucky Barnes, Meet-Cute, Nipple Licking, Nipple Play, Noncanon sharon, Pierced Bucky Barnes, Prostate Milking, Quickies, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Sharon is not 616 Sharon Carter, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Wears Glasses, Steve has a nose ring, Steve in lingerie, Steve is adorable, Steve is engaged, Sub Steve Rogers, Summer Romance, Tattooed Bucky Barnes, Thigh high stockings, Top Bucky Barnes, Touching, Unrequited sharon/steve, adult bullying, and I have no shame, back scratching during sex, copious use of the nickname "baby", diabeetus warning, male bra, male lingerie, male panties, nuzzling, pretty boys kissing, shameless amounts of fluff, sweet like sugar, tantric orgasm, the cutest story I've ever written, this story is turning into shameless porn, this story went from 0-60 with the porn here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:50:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 225,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4658514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Nerd_Alert/pseuds/The_Nerd_Alert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When people asked him 'So Mr. Rogers… what is it you do for a living?', they expected some epic answer; something heroic and demanding, and completely fitting this Herculean supermodel standing before them. That was not the answer they got. Instead, Steve would just give them a knowing look. Steve would laugh. Steve would always answer with a huge smile, ready to take them all by surprise. What was his answer? </i>
</p><p>  <i>'I bake cupcakes for a living.'</i></p><p> </p><p>Steve Rogers owns the best Cupcakery in Brooklyn. The garage that just opened across the street, however, may be driving business away with its seemingly dirty and rough-around-the-edges staff. Add in the stress of planning a wedding with his fiancée Sharon, plus a high-strung finance manager, and Steve was a nervous wreck. But when the drop-dead gorgeous mechanic with a sleeve full of tattoos and long brown hair comes into his shop one day with a nervous smile and two dollars in his pocket, Steve doesn't think anything could really come of this chance meeting. It's just harmless flirting. Right?</p><p>Boy was he wrong...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cupcakes, $1.79!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [L1av](https://archiveofourown.org/users/L1av/gifts).



> I give up. The Stucky has taken over my life. 
> 
> So here, have a meet-cute multi-fic story with Baker-Steve and Mechanic-Bucky. I blame Li for this. All the blame. *tosses them under the bus*
> 
> Edit: I had someone mention that Sharon isn't in character, and I wanted to clarify. This is not Sharon Carter as we know her from the MCU or earth-616. This is a very original/ooc Sharon that doesn't reflect on her character, not the character of Peggy Carter. I just wanted to clarify that for everyone reading, just in case they had issues with this Sharon at all :)

Like clockwork every day, the sun rose over the sleepy little stretch of road on the outskirts of Brooklyn, illuminating the streets, and bringing life to the morning. Like clockwork, people filed out to their cars, sleepy and under-caffeinated as they prepared to start their long days in offices and jobs that kept food on the table, but barely fed the hopes of dreams of many New Yorkers of this day and age.

And like clockwork every day, Steven Grant Rogers would wake up, ready and eager to make the ten minute walk it would take him to get to work, all smiles and enthusiastic energy as he clambered from bed to shower and prepare for the long day ahead. Most people didn’t get their dream jobs. Most people weren’t so lucky.

Steve Rogers lucked out.

When people asked him what he did for a living, most wouldn’t expect the answer they got. Some people assumed soldier. Some people assumed athlete. Some people even went so far as to guess that Steve was some famous actor under wraps. After all, Steve was tall, well built, and handsome; he had sharp, piercing blue eyes, a head of striking blond hair, and a chiseled jaw. He wore glasses that made him look like he tumbled out of a GQ article for the latest Ray-Ban styles, and he had an infectious, cheerful personality that many people found ungodly attractive on this Adonis of a man. In short, Steve was a perfect specimen of a human being, and everyone that admired him thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread.

So when people asked him “So Mr. Rogers… what is it you do for a living?” they expected some epic answer; something heroic and demanding, and completely fitting this Herculean supermodel standing before them.

That was not the answer they got. Instead, Steve would just give them a knowing look. Steve would laugh. Steve would always answer with a huge smile, ready to take them all by surprise. What was his answer?

“I bake cupcakes for a living.”

It wasn’t a sarcastic remark; it wasn’t even an underhanded jab at his life goals. Steve Rogers was genuinely excited to wake up every day, still smelling like sugar and baker’s chocolate, and make that ten minute walk down the block every morning and open up the shop he’d finally been able to afford to establish as his life’s work.

Needless to say, the reaction was evenly split down the middle: some people thought that baking cakes for a living was a complete waste of time and would walk away disappointed that this perfect human being did something so silly. Some people thought it was absolutely adorable and would find themselves even more drawn to this person.

Though often, Steve would get asked about how he kept his figure so built and lean working with sweets all day, and what he’d do if he let his work get to his waistline. Steve never really spoke to those people again.

Some people would think that working in a cupcakery was a hit-or-miss job. Some people just didn’t like sweets, and others wouldn’t make the drive just to buy a specific store’s wares. This may have been true on most occasions, but a specialty shop, now that was a different story entirely; owning one’s own cupcakery was actually a surprisingly fruitful business, and Steve didn’t hesitate to use his talents for the better part of his job. Having studied art in college, Steve was well known for designing custom cakes for customers on a dime, and his catering orders were always overflowing in his inbox. Kid’s parties, wedding receptions, office parties, any affair you could think of, and Steve’s business was always the first people would call for their delicious, handmade treats. It also helped that he’d won Brooklyn’s cake baking contest four years in a row.

Okay, so maybe Steve was a little famous in Brooklyn; still, he liked to think of himself as a humble man that put his life’s work into creating extraordinary cakes for any occasion one saw fit. But despite the fancy cakes people ordered for high class events, Steve’s staple product was, and always would be, cupcakes. And nobody was happier than Steve to get to create those delicious little pastries for the world to enjoy.

Of course, it wasn’t always fun and games; running one’s own business got to be a bit stressful without assistance, and after a year of business, Steve decided he needed some help; Steve hired on an organizer and bookkeeping manager to handle the banking and order forms while he worked diligently on his prized cakes. So just a few short weeks after making the hard decision of adding on some extra hands for work, Steve hired his friend, Tony, to help with the funds and booking for the business.

And boy, was business booming.

School was just getting ready to let out for the summer, which meant Steve constantly had to have a store of cupcakes of every variety on hand for kids to buy with their pocket change. A cupcake for $1.79, five for $5, or a baker’s dozen for $11 dollars. If someone wanted a custom cupcake made, well then that’s where Steve really made his money; because while his standard cupcakes or specialty flavored cupcakes were delicious and without competition, _everyone_ wanted a custom cupcake, decorated by hand in front of them like some magic trick that no one seemed to get tired of. Oftentimes, people would walk in, talk to Steve for five minutes, and he’d have a custom decorated cupcake ready for them in just a minute, teeming with personality and design that always impressed the customer. Those cupcakes usually cost anywhere between $6 and $8 dollars, depending on how much effort and frosting went into a cupcake; despite the slightly lofty prices, they were always well received, and kept the patrons coming back for more.

It also helped that Steve used rather large tins for his mixes; people always complimented him on the size of his cupcakes. They were almost as big as mini cakes, small enough to hold in your hand but large enough that no one walked away dissatisfied, ever. They were dense, moist, delicious cakes, and Steve was proud to say that they came from his loving hands.

Without a doubt, Brooklyn loved “Star-Spangled Pastries”, and Steve loved his customers right back. In fact, Steve felt like his life was going rather well actually. He’d gotten his student loans paid off finally, he had a business he loved, he had good friends, and a nice apartment. There was just one tiny detail in Steve’s life that he felt was just slightly, maybe, a little bit overwhelming…

Steve was getting married.

Now if one asked Steve what his fiancée was like, he never had a bad thing to say about her. Sharon was a beautiful woman with a strong head about her, and a heart of pure gold. She was a very successful nurse, working her way up the medical ladder in life to become a nurse practitioner and she had plans and aspirations for the two of them once they finally tied the knot for a long, fruitful, and engaging married life. Steve and Sharon had been dating for 3 years now starting shortly after college had ended for both of them, and everyone’s opinion on the two of them was that they made a _very_ handsome couple that most only aspired to be. Many often said that the two of them struck the mold as the perfect example of what a man and woman should be like together, and that they would make beautiful babies in the future; they would be the idyllic American couple that everyone would aspire to be like, their romance would be sung upon throughout the ages, all that sort of nonsense…

And that’s just what terrified Steve to no end.

He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, nor did he want to sully anyone’s opinion of himself and his life choices. He really did _like_ Sharon, and knew that she was very good for him in his life; he wouldn’t have asked her to marry him if he didn’t care for her at all…

He was just beginning to wonder if all of this fuss was really worth the headache he was sporting over an engagement he’d proposed on the spur of the moment.

It was a Tuesday afternoon; business was rather slow that day, which gave Steve plenty of time to work on preparing batter for the morning, mixing up ingredients for the freezer, and generally getting the store ready ahead of schedule. Normally after a busy shift, Steve would have to work long into the night just to get things ready for future sales; it was a necessary evil he had to deal with when running a business, just in case he ran into a problem of the next day turning out to be a highly profitable time, and he never liked not being prepared for it. So if he had a slow shift, Steve would happily take advantage of the time given to him and be as completely ready as he possibly could be.

Sharon must have known that his store was empty that day, too; Steve swore she had some sort of radar for those dull moments because once again, she had been sitting on his back counter for the past three hours, throwing out wedding ideas to him while he worked over a piping hot oven and getting black food coloring under his fingernails. He didn’t mind the company at all… he just didn’t feel like thinking about such a huge, life changing, daunting affair looming in his near future while he struggled to get the consistency of batter just right for the fluffiest cakes he could make.

Plus the multitude of thousands of questions and options being thrown at him left and right were starting to really fucking annoy him.

“Steve, take a look at this place!” Sharon piped up. She held the binder she had, stuffed thick with papers and cut outs and photos of every possible flower arrangement, venue, dress, tux, earring, _everything_ she could think of to plan ahead for their spring wedding, and had carefully mapped out everything with possible alterations and color combinations, should they need it. Steve knew he was getting a white tux, despite his protests that white only made his shoulders look impossibly wider than they already were, so part of his planning was already taken care of for him; thank mercy for small favors.

Steve shook his head when he heard Sharon’s voice clear behind him again; he looked up in time to see Sharon pointing to one venue on the paper in particular. It was a rather lavish looking location, with palm trees outside the establishment and white marble fronts; it looked fancier than the White House, for Pete’s sake. Nevertheless, Sharon beamed at him with a huge smile on her face, eyes dancing excitedly as she waited for his opinion. “Doesn’t this place look gorgeous?! We could host the ceremony _and_ the reception here! That way everyone doesn’t have to trek around from one place to another.”

Steve sighed, wiping his floury hand across his forehead before looking down at the binder in front of his face. He carefully pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose to get a good look at the location, and shrugged a large shoulder at her. “It’s nice… It’s a little big though, don’t you think? And I thought you wanted to have that big stretch limo deal for the whole wedding party? I don’t thinks it’s gas-ethical to drive around in a limo just to arrive back at the same place we just got married at.” God forbid, they ditch the limo idea; Steve and Sharon had gone over the limo decision probably a good three dozen times before they finally agreed to have the service added to their affair. He really didn’t want the two of them to dump the limo idea after they had finally agreed on one. He might shoot himself if they did.

Sharon frowned and looked down at the binder in her hands as she contemplated his reasoning. After a moment, she must have agreed with him, because she shook her head and tossed out that venue’s listing. “Yeah, you’re right. Plus this place charges like 5 grand just to book it, so we should pick something smaller…”

Steve spluttered, tossing flour up with a choke as he whirled on her. Who in their right, honest mind, booked a venue for one day for that amount of money?! Now Steve was _sure_ he was in way over his head with this whole ceremony. He stared at her for a long, painful moment through flour-speckled glasses, his eyes bugged from his head with shock. “5 thousand dollars just to book that place?! No way, toss that option right now. That’s insane. 5 grand for a room, that’s a horrible idea, Shar! Please don’t tell me you put a deposit down on it already!”

Sharon laughed loudly, tossing her head back with mirth. She leaned forward and wiped the flour from his glasses with her thumb before planting a kiss on his forehead. “Relax, I didn’t put a deposit down. These are just quotes I gathered over the weekend. Some of the other venues aren’t actually much less either, you know. A lot of them do come with catering services, but for most of them the cake and dessert are extra costs. Bright side, at least we know if we have to provide our own wedding cake, you can just bake it yourself!” she added with a bright giggle.

Having turned his back on her to focus on his current batter, Steve rolled his eyes to the ceiling with a barely concealed huff of air. If he had a dollar for every time she cracked that joke, he could probably pay for that venue in cash. He wasn’t really one to complain out loud, but frankly, he was starting to get annoyed with her mentioning that at every chance she got. He understood she was just trying to be cute, but for God’s sake, there was only so much a man could take before he popped. “Yeah, I guess I really could bake our own cake, now couldn’t I?” he asked in a monotone drawl; his voice only barely hedged on tired as he turned back to her with a forced smile. He had to be strong. ‘ _Sharon’s only trying to lighten the mood, Rogers… be cool.’_  he thought to himself as he rested his hip on the counter; he had to wait for the first round of batter to set up a minute before he could add the final ingredients, anyway...

“Mhm, exactly! If we are going to provide our own cake, I want it to look classy, alright? White with white trim? Maybe a vanilla crème, you always do that one well!” Sharon said. She looked up from her binder, and stared at her fiancé for a moment before her eyes narrowed at the side of his nose. “ _Classy._ Alright? Like the nose piercing you felt was so necessary to get is _not.”_ Sharon sighed and scrubbed her hand through her yellow hair before continuing. “I dunno why you went and got that Steve. It looks really silly, like you have a pimple on your nose or something. Please tell me you’re going to take it out before the wedding. I’m sure the hole will close up before the ceremony.”

Once again, Steve’s shoulders bristled as he struggled to hold back the irritation that threatened to overtake him. He watched her scrutinizing over his appearance and his jaw ticked slightly before he looked away from her; it was really self-preservation at that moment, otherwise he was going to say something he was going to regret.

Needless to say, Steve didn’t look like the rough type. He wore cardigans, sweaters and light-print clothing, and he still tucked his shirts in at all times. He kept his hair neat and often slicked it to the side. He didn’t even have tattoos, and Steve didn’t have any urge to darken up his appearance in the slightest. So who could really blame him if he wanted to try something a little different? No one that he could think of, and in all honesty, all of his friends thought the piercing looked really good on him.

Steve had been nervous the night he had gotten it done. He and Sam had been out at the bar, enjoying a rare night off together and on a whim, Steve had stated he wanted a nose piercing. Sam, ever the supporting friend, went with Steve to the nearest tattoo parlor and sat in while the on-staff artist pierced the left-side bell of Steve’s nose. It had hurt pretty smartly, but by the time the artist was done, Steve was left with a piercing that was no bigger than a tiny silver chip that stood out against the reddened skin of his nose; when he had asked Sam how it looked, Sam gave him his honest opinion and told him it actually looked strikingly good on him, despite the initial swelling and inflammation that made him look like a 6’2 Rudolf. It took some getting used to, to not pick at it and to see that tiny speck of metal on his nose every time he looked in the mirror; sure the ache and the redness had taken a couple days to go down, and the tiny bump that had formed around it finally went away after a couple weeks, but by the time he had gotten used to its presence, Steve couldn’t picture himself without it. He just liked it that much.

Then, Sharon had come back from her birthday party travels and her volunteer nursing trip to Guatemala, complained to high hell about how stupid it looked on his face, and demanded he take it out for fear that it would ruin his reputation as an honorable baker (as if there were really some high standards to adhere to...). Normally, Steve would have done what he was told, but he’d had the piercing for a couple months at that point, and simply refused to take it out despite her insistence; they had argued over it heatedly for a few days, and finally Sharon gave up… though she still was adamant on reminding him at every opportunity she had that she absolutely despised it. Steve didn’t really let it bother him, normally.

Now, he was just tired and fed up with the whole headache of planning this wedding, and his patience was running thin. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath to calm himself down before he could speak. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll get a clear spacer to go in the piercing for the ceremony. You won’t even see it’s there in the pictures,” Steve replied finally, turning his attention back to the mixing bowl in his hand. God, almost a year later, and he was still getting an earful over it. He was never going to hear the end of it that was for sure…

Sharon whined, folding her hands in her lap hopefully. "Pleeaase, take it out, Steve. You look so beautiful without it.  Plus, it’ll leave a shadow on your nose in the flash.” Sharon insisted, closing the binder with a slap. She sighed to herself and rolled her eyes to the ceiling with a disappointed air. “Still don’t understand why you felt like you had to go get it, you looked perfect without it… now it just makes your nose look dirty… we’re supposed to be having kids, what do you think that's gonna look like to them?”

Steve heard a thump from behind him, and he turned in time to see Sharon dropping down from the counter and approaching him. She had stuffed her binder back into her bag, and was currently plucking her sunglasses from her purse with a flourish. Grateful that she was at least letting the stupid piercing thing go for the time being, he put the bowl down to let the batter breathe for another minute, and turned to face her. “Got work now, honey?” he asked as he dried his hands off on a towel.

Sharon shrugged and sauntered up to his side. She threw her arms around his neck and leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips. Steve didn’t touch her hips as he leaned down to return the kiss for fear that he would get something on her clothes, though the kiss lingered for quite a few moments before they separated. “Sadly, yes. Have to take a nap before I pull another 12-hour tonight. At least I’m not in the infectious diseases ward, my rounds won’t be so exhausting this time.” Sharon smiled up at him and reached her hand up to his cheek; she flicked her thumb over his cheek, just below his right eye, and swiped away a spot of flour from his skin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright? Maybe we can do breakfast before I have to go to bed.”

Steve nodded, giving her a small smile before stepping back. “Sounds good. Have a good shift, okay?”

Sharon winked at him and waved before bustling for the front of the store. “You betcha! Have a good rest of your day, baby. Try to actually eat some real food tonight, and not take-away again. I already booked your tux and it wasn’t cheap, so try not to outgrow it before April, or we’ll never find another one in time.”

“Then I am _really_ in the wrong profession, if we’re worried about that happening…” Steve sighed, and waved to her. Movement at the door caught his attention, and he looked away from Sharon in time to see Tony entering the cupcakery. He waved to his friend, and turned his attention back to the bowl he’d left on the back counter, just behind the kitchen wall. He could briefly hear Sharon and Tony talking for a second, before the tiny bell over the door chimed once again, signaling that Sharon had finally left. “Is she gone?” Steve asked, poking his head out from the wall to give his friend a searching look.

“You’re safe, Romeo, she just left,” Tony replied, marching straight for the register to grab the comp-reports for the month.

Steve sighed and thumped his forehead against the separating wall with an audible ‘thud’. “Ugh… thank God, I didn’t think she was ever going to stop. I can’t wait until this whole wedding is over with. It’s a bigger pain in the neck than anything I’ve dealt with.”

“That’s saying something. You’re friends with me, after all!” Tony quipped, looking over his shoulder at Steve. “Yeah, I can tell this is getting to you. You’re going gray already, Ebenezer!”

Steve scoffed at Tony and grabbed his bowl before marching over to the refrigerator to grab the pureed strawberries he’d prepared earlier. “I’m not going gray, now you’re just being a jerk. I don’t need this right now; I’m stress-eating again, Tony, and Sharon ‘already booked the Tux’.” Steve added with an exhausted laugh.

“Steve, you are the only person in the world that eats carrots and vegetables when he’s stressed. Have a Twinkie for once in your life, you work with cake for a living.” Tony barked, glancing over the rim of his sunglasses at the baker next to him. “And would it kill you to swear once in a while? I mean, seriously, you’re a rebel now! You went and got a nose-ring for God’s sake!”

“Tony…” Steve warned, shooting him a look over his shoulder as he dumped the pureed fruit into the bowl. “Don’t even start. I get enough from her about it. She thinks it’s immature and she wants kids in the future; according to her she wants our future family to be perfect. Which I understand, but...”

Tony simply laughed. “Yeah, because having a nose piercing is gonna turn your kids into prison brats. Alright, I get it, she just wants what’s best for your happily wedded future. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. She just needs to lighten up a little bit; methinks the wedding planning might be getting to her too.”

With that he let the subject drop; attention back on the register, his smile melted away to an irritated scowl, and he cursed under his breath. “Goddammit. Another 2% drop since last month. I swear to God, it’s that fucking garage across the street. It’s driving business away!”

Steve looked up from his cake tins where he carefully ladled out portions into each cup, and raised a brow at him. “I highly doubt it’s the garage. Kids are just getting out of school next week, you know it always gets slow around here right before class dismisses for the year. And parents don’t exactly feel the need to rush over and buy a cupcake for their kid if they’re in school.”

“Nope! You’re wrong, it’s definitely the garage.” Tony sighed, jotting down his numbers in his ledger before closing the register drawer again. “Ever since they opened a few months back, I’ve been watching a steady decline in our deposits. Pretty soon, no one is gonna come around here looking for a damn cake, and it’ll be tits up for “Star-Spangled Pastries”!”

Steve huffed and sat down in a chair to stare up at him with an incredulous eye. “You’re kidding, right? I checked the comps myself, we only dropped 300 dollars from last year, _overall._ I think we can bounce back from that. We’ll throw a sale or something. Make a Facebook page if we have to. We’re still the only bakery around here that gets regular business. Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

“As your financial advisor I say that’s horseshit, but what do I know?” Tony sniffed, before returning his ledger back to his satchel. “I gotta run. Try not to spill batter again, that shit costs us way too much money for you to be feeding the ants around here.”

“That was _one time, Stark!”_ Steve shouted after Tony, watching him go with a toss of his wrist over his shoulder and a flourish. The bell tinkled loudly in the air, almost oppressive as he stared after his friend’s retreating back. If he didn’t hear that stupid bell again the rest of the day, it’d be too soon. Now, finally left to himself, Steve slumped back against the wall and stared at the ceiling with a tired groan. God, now he had a headache; he sort of wished he’d had the opportunity to stop for coffee this morning… maybe he should buy a coffee pot for the back room. Then again, Tony would yell at him for using up business funds on something so ‘trivial’ and try to return it on him. As if Starbucks was any cheaper...

Running one’s own business may have been fruitful, but boy was it a pain in the ass sometimes. Steve loved his business. He really did. He just wished everyone else would get with the program and love it for what it was too…

* * *

 

It was only June, and already the temperature was blazing hot in this damn garage. Bucky huffed in exhaustion and pushed his hand through his dark hair with a tired flick of his wrist. The long strands had fallen out of their ponytail tie again, and he stood up to retie the strands of hair from his face before they got damp with sweat. He could feel a couple hairs get tangled in the hoop of his left earlobe gauge again and as his pushed them back, they tugged on his scaffold piercing, making him hiss out in discomfort. Dammit; hot, crabby, and now sore, and the stupid, jet-black jumpsuit was _really_ not improving his mood at all. Bucky knew he was being a spiteful bitch, but he really hated having to wear these coveralls day in and day out; a uniform was a uniform, but couldn’t it at least have been made with something more breathable?

Standing fully upright, Bucky cracked his back and rolled his shoulders to get the kinks out of his spine from being hunched over the guts of this car for a good 40 minutes straight. He glanced up and snatched a bottle of water from the shelf next to him and took a hearty swig before leaning his hip against the body of the car; Bucky called to the mechanic next to him and waited for an affirmative grunt. “I can’t fuckin’ figure out what the hell is going wrong with this thing, man. The whole engine’s shot. This guy needs a new carburetor, a new fuel injection pump, and the belts are being held together by duct-tape. And that’s not even what’s causin’ the problem! That customer is gonna be pissed when he finds out he’s better off just buyin’ a new car, than trying to fix this old beater.”

Brock, a veteran mechanic and nearly 15 years Bucky’s senior, was hard at work on his own vehicle as he listened to his co-worker complain; he slid out from beneath the car on his ugly plastic creeper, and stared up at Bucky with a grin on his tanned features. “You tell ‘im that, I dunno why yer bitchin’ to me about it. He’s your customer, I ain’t gonna be the one to drop that heartbreakin’ shit on him.”

“Oh goodie, it’s my lucky fuckin’ day.” Bucky sighed and scrubbed a non-greasy knuckle over his eyes. “Can’t we just blow the whole damn garage up and chalk it up to an unfortunate accident? Insurance can cover this old coot a new car, right?”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear ya say that and get back to work on this PAS system. Stop bitchin’ and just go tell the guy to start makin’ funeral arrangements.” Brock laughed, and slid back under the car, effectively cutting Bucky off from any more conversation.

Bucky stared after his retreating friend, and flipped him the middle finger before slamming the hood of the car shut again. He hated this part of the job; having to tell someone that their car was dead to the world and the only cure was finding a loving replacement while it got junked never went well. He still remembered getting beaned in the heat with a purse by an angry old lady after he told her he couldn’t salvage her family vehicle. Oh well… time to go face the music once again.

Though, at the last possible second, Bucky was saved by the grace of God; as he approached the office to collect the customer’s phone number, Clint came out with his finger in his ear as he adjusted the volume on his hearing aid, and Bucky whistled to get his attention. “Hey Clint, got that old guy’s number? Gotta tell him his car’s shit and he needs a new one,” Bucky stated, sounding less than thrilled at the prospect.

Clint looked up at Bucky, and flashed him a grin. “Nah; I appreciate your honorability, but you don’t have to go through the trouble, actually. I need you to go take your break, and then Brock right after you; I gotta be outta here by one today. I’ll call and tell him myself.”

Bucky had never heard sweeter words in his life! “Praise Jesus, I actually get to go a day without getting yelled at!” Bucky exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air in an exaggerated show of relief. Behind him, he heard the wheels of Brock’s creeper groaning as he slid back out from beneath the car once again, and the bark of laughter that echoed in the garage around them at his outburst actually got Bucky grinning. “You sure Brock and I can run this place without you for a whole hour until closing supervisor comes in? I mean, we are trouble, ya know.”

“The best kinda trouble we all are.” Clint smirked, and clapped Bucky on the shoulder. “I think you two can handle it. Go stuff your face. I’ll call that guy and let him know his Olds’ is in a better place.”

Bucky saluted him and turned to jog into the breakroom. As he walked, his mind wandered over what his options were for lunch that day, and his stomach rumbled in anticipation. Maybe he’d try that new Mexican joint down the block; it’d been open for a few weeks now, but Bucky hadn’t had a chance to stop in just yet; his interest had remained piqued however, as he’d smelled the cilantro a few times while walking and every time he did, his mouth watered like crazy. Yeah, Mexican sounded like a really good idea that day.

Stepping into the air-conditioned breakroom, Bucky spotted Brock standing at the water cooler, getting a drink to quench his thirst. He waved at him and walked over to his locker to fetch his clean jeans from inside. Only when he opened his locker and grabbed them, Bucky noticed a distinct lack of weight in the back pocket. He cursed under his breath and dug through all four pockets on his pants before grabbing his sweatshirt and searching through those pockets as well. All he found was his keys, and no wallet. There went his lovely burrito that day...

“Fuckin’ hell,” Bucky cursed under his breath and glared at his jeans; he remembered, quite suddenly, that he’d decided to grab his _other_ pair of jeans for some unknown reason, and had thusly left his wallet behind in the neatly folded pair sitting on his kitchen counter that morning. Fat lot of good that did him.

“Whatdja do?” Brock asked, catching Bucky’s attention; Bucky turned and spotted the amused look on his friend’s face. “Forget your wallet?”

“Yep,” Bucky sighed, tossing his jeans back into his locker and closing it with a loud bang. “Guess it really is my lucky day.”

“This is why I bring my own damn food. You should prolly think about it sometime,” Brock teased, taking another drink of water. “I know, crazy idea, right? But there’s this magical fuckin’ place called a grocery store-”

“Shuddup, Rumlow.” Bucky growled, turning to face him. “You got any cash? I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”

Brock shrugged and grabbed his own wallet from his locker. Upon looking inside, he frowned and plucked out two singles, and held them up with a small smile. “Two bucks, s’all I got, man. Go buy yourself somethin’ nice, and don’t worry about payin’ me back. Consider it a charity case.”

“Thanks.” Bucky took the two dollars from Brock; while it wouldn’t get him that delicious meal he was thinking about, he could at least walk to the convenience store and get a bag of chips or something. It would do better than not eating anything at all. “Alright, guess I’ll see ya in 30.”

“Have fun. Don’t get lost, I ain’t comin’ to rescue yer ass, Barnes!” Brock called after him, waving with a grin.

Once again, Bucky flipped his middle finger at him, and the roar of laughter he got from Brock lifted his spirits at least a little bit.

Stepping out into the hot sun outside the garage, Bucky felt the oppressive heat bearing down on him, and he uttered a soft groan of protest. He really didn’t feel like walking all the way to the convenience store and all the way back, just for a two-bit bag of Cheetos. He was going to sweat his balls off before he even got back to work, and he really didn’t feel like stewing in his own body odor any more than he already had to. Maybe he could just sit out food for this time and give Brock back his two dollars. He could wait the couple hours he had left of his shift and just eat when he got home…

But just before he decided to find a cool, shady spot to crouch in for half an hour, Bucky’s eyes landed on a sign just across the street from him; it belonged to that bakery he saw from the open doors of the garage every single day. He hadn’t paid much attention to it, honestly, so he really didn’t know what kind of shit they sold; still, the large pastel sign in the window that screamed “CUPCAKES, $1.79 EACH” caught his attention. Cupcakes.. they weren’t exactly healthy, but it was better than not eating anything at all. Besides, the sugar rush might get him through the hump of the day, and it was much more preferable than walking in the sun for ten solid minutes wearing a jet-black jumpsuit.

With his mind made up, Bucky jogged across the street, and stopped in front of the bakery. “‘Star-Spangled Pastries’...” he muttered to himself as he read the sign with an incredulous blink; who the hell named a bakery with a patriotic theme? “Okay then… sure why not?” He shrugged his shoulders and pushed his hair back from his face before retying the rubber band around his hair once again. Once he was sure he was half decent looking, Bucky stepped inside the bakery and listened to the cheerful jingle of the door bell ringing as he stepped inside.

The place was tiny, relatively speaking. It probably could comfortably house about 20 people with standing room, and there were only two tables in the whole sitting area. The rest of the place was taken up by large glass counters filled with dozens upon dozens of different cupcakes, cake slices, and treats of every kind. The place was decorated in varieties of red and blue, with white stars on the walls, and it struck him as almost old-timey in appearance. It was quaint; that was the best word Bucky could think to describe it. Hell, it even had that little counter bell someone would ring if no one heard the doorbell at all. Even the register looked kind of old fashioned.

Suddenly, Bucky felt really out of place in this shop. It looked like it was probably owned by some elderly, little old lady with a dozen cats and a bible in every room in her house and here he stood, the greasy, sweaty, tattooed and pierced mechanic with two dollars in his pocket and enough oil stains on his knees to paint a fresco. Still, his stomach rumbled again and demanded attention; he couldn't back out now.

So with a defeated groan, Bucky gave the bell on the counter a sharp slap, and flinched as it rang out with a shrill chime into the still air. “Hello?” he called, hoping the owner wasn’t on lunch or something. “Anyone there?”

From the back, Bucky heard a metal bowl clanging as it was put down. Ah, someone was working back there. Bucky squared his shoulders and put on his best smile, hoping he didn’t offend the person that came out; images of tiny ladies came to mind and he sort of wished he’d remembered to put his silver gauges in, instead of the jet black monstrosities he usually wore. He really didn’t want to scare the person that greeted him.

Only, the person that came out was the _last_ person Bucky expected to see.

The guy was tall; really tall, and built like a fucking Mack truck. He had a shoulder to waist ratio to die for, and well defined arms that bulged under the cuffed sleeves of his shirt. He had striking blue eyes, and blond hair, and a sharp jaw that could cut his hand if Bucky chose to slap him. The shirt he wore was a pastel blue button up tucked into a pair of jeans, and he had an apron around his waist; his whole front was flecked with specks of flour and chocolate stained his apron. Lastly, as Bucky looked back up to the drop-dead handsome face of the guy, he spotted a small chip stud in the side of his nose; for some reason, Bucky just knew that that tiny little piercing brought the whole, beautiful picture together like a Goddamn masterpiece. Bucky didn’t really believe in fairytales, but if falling in love at first sight was a real thing he’d hit rock-bottom, _real_ fast.

The blond flashed an infectious grin at him and swiped his hand over his cheek to clean away the flour on his skin. “Hi there! Sorry, was in the back mixing up some batter and didn’t hear you come in. What can I get you today?” he asked, beaming at Bucky as he stepped up to the counter.

‘ _Fuck… I’d take a slice of you any day...’_ Bucky thought to himself as he swallowed thickly. Slapping on a smile, Bucky stepped back up to the counter and glanced up at him. _‘Okay. Speak English. Don’t embarrass yourself...’_  “Hi… Uhm… I work across the street and saw you sell cupcakes for like, a dollar or somethin’? I only got two bucks on me right now and was feelin’ a little hungry, so I thought I’d step in.” ‘ _Okay, not bad, Barnes… delivery was a little rough but not bad...’_

The man chuckled and reached into his back pocket. “No problem. Yeah, basic cupcakes are $1.79. Specialty ones are about $3, and custom cakes are more than that. Got anything in mind you want?” As he spoke, the blond pulled out a pair of glasses from his back pocket and slipped them on with a practiced ease. Ray-bans. Of course they were fucking Ray-Bans....

‘ _Goddammit, he wears nerd glasses. He’s even more hot! Fuck!’_ Bucky thought with a nervous swallow. He shrugged, and stared down at the counter to gather his wits before he could speak again. “No... not really. I don’t eat a lot of sweets to be honest with ya. Was just hoping for something… basic?” ‘ _Focus on your words, Barnes… don’t fuck up now...’_

The blond nodded in understanding. “You don’t eat a lot of sweets? That’s alright, you came to the right place to try something new.” He paused, and seemed to regard Bucky for a long moment before grinning. “Tell you what. Since you’re a first timer here, and you seem to be really hungry, go ahead and pick out one of these.” With that, the baker stepped over to a second glass counter, and gestured to some rather ridiculously fancy cakes with a smile. “I’ll only charge you for a basic cake, alright?”

Bucky followed him to the counter and looked down at the treats inside; he frowned as he saw the price labels and he glanced up at him with pure uncertainty; was he being serious? Bucky had never encountered someone that just gave away expensive food at that price. “You sure? These are like 5 bucks a piece; I don’t wanna ruin your till tonight, ya know.”

“It’s fine. I own the place so what I say, goes. Pick out a cake. It’s really alright.”

Bucky looked up at him, surprised all over again; so the guy was ridiculously hot, charming, nice, and he owned a bakery. What Angel descended from Heaven on his lucky day, and kissed his ass this time? “Uh… okay then.” With that, he turned his attention away from the baker and began to observe the cakes inside. “Jesus these things are the size of my fuckin’ head…”

The blond laughed again and dropped down to his knee to watch Bucky through the glass. “Yeah, I like to make ‘em big. Makes the trip worthwhile you know?”

“No kidding,” Bucky muttered. There were literally over a dozen options to choose from, and he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Who really ordered a Triple Chocolate Chunk Mousse Cupcake with Raspberry Truffle? That was more words strung together in one name than he had ever seen in his life. After a while, his eyes landed on a brown cupcake with white frosting and a smattering of caramel on the top; he didn’t really know what it was but it looked simple enough to him. With his mind made up, Bucky nodded and pointed at it. “Uhmm... that one.”

The baker looked down and gave him an affirmative nod. “Praline. Good choice,” the blond said, standing up as he grabbed a wax wrapper from the box. Plucking the cupcake from the shelf, he held it up with a practiced grace to Bucky. “Would you like sprinkles on it? I swear it doesn’t cost extra.”

Bucky snorted, and eyed up the cupcake; it looked pretty Goddamn fancy as it was. He was pretty sure sprinkles were not needed for this monstrosity; besides, he wasn’t sure if he should add to the sugar coma he was going to develop later on. “Nah… no sprinkles. But thanks anyway.”

The blond nodded, and handed Bucky the cupcake from across the counter. “Alright. That’ll be $1.93.”

Bucky, balancing the cupcake in his palm, reached into his pocket and fished out the two dollars he had been given. He handed it over, and tried to ignore the electric zing that ran through his body the moment their fingers brushed. He could feel his cheeks heating up just slightly at the light touch, and he swallowed down his tongue as he fought the blush that he knew was threatening to crawl its way up his face and turn him into a fucking tomato. Luckily, the owner had just looked down at the register at that moment; Bucky took his chance to turn away from him and inhale a few deep breaths to get his heart to cooperate again.

He heard the drawer slide out with a click, and he turned back in time to take his seven cents from him. “Thanks. Uhm… mind if I sit in here and eat? It’s cool in here, and uh… y-yeah. I don’t wanna cramp your style or anything or drive away good business. I know I look a little disgusting and prolly smell, but-”

“Hey! It’s alright!” The owner chuckled; he held his hands out to him in a placating gesture, and motioned for the table. “It’s fine. You’re hot, it's hot out, I have the AC cranking. Those ovens back there get disgustingly hot too, so I know it’s nice to cool off when you can.” Once again, he motioned for the side table and flashed Bucky a wink. “Go sit down.”

Bucky couldn’t fight the blush that hit him like a freight train this time. Nodding dumbly, he crossed the room and sat down at the table, relishing the feeling of the cold air jetting down on him from the ceiling vent. “Thanks… I mean it.” Bucky offered; he smiled up at the owner once again before setting his cupcake down on the wax paper. He peeled away the paper cup from the treat and surveyed it carefully. It really was huge; bigger than any cupcake he’d seen at the grocery store that was for sure. It didn’t hurt that it smelled really amazing, too.

With that, Bucky plucked up the cake and took a small bite. Instantly, a symphony of flavor hit him as he chewed the sweet treat; he moaned, honest to God, _moaned_ at the delicious flavor as he swallowed it down. “Holy shit, this is really good!” he exclaimed, licking crumbs from the corner of his mouth as he took another bite of the cake. This time, he tasted a dollop of something creamy inside the cake, and he looked down to see that the damn thing actually had a cinnamon-y filled center. “Like, I’m not even kiddin’ ya this is the best thing I’ve tasted in a really long time!”

The owner laughed, and wandered out from the counter. He sat across from Bucky (holy shit, he was _sitting_ with him), leaned back in his chair like a fucking supermodel and smiled at him, flashing a set of pearly white teeth with delight. “Glad you like it. It’s a favorite of a lot of customers, actually.”

“I can see why. This is like… sex in a wrapper right here. I could get fat eating these.” Bucky said around another mouthful of cake. He swallowed and wiped the corner of his mouth off with a napkin, before setting the cake down on the wrapper. He didn’t want to rush; partially, he didn’t want to rush and make himself sick with all the sugar…

But mostly he didn’t want to rush because Mr. Universe was sitting across from him, actually talking to him and giving him the time of day, like he actually deserved it. Guys like him didn’t even spare a second glance at guys like Bucky. They were literally polar opposites, the clean-cut charmer and the inked tramp, sitting across from each other in a tiny little bakery like they were on a date or something.

He was shameful; Goddamn he was so shameful, but if Bucky could stare at him for ten minutes, he could go back to work and forget all about old men and their beat up cars and getting yelled at by soccer moms for their shitty mini vans all day.

The two of them fell silent, Bucky eating his food, and the blond just watching him. After a moment, the silence was broken by the baker speaking up. “So... I, uh… I don’t remember seeing you across the street at all, and that garage has been there for a couple months now. Did you just get hired? What’s your name anyway?”

Bucky swallowed his mouthful, a little surprised that this guy was actually interested in asking about him. Normally, people didn’t. He looked like an introvert; that’s what he told himself. It made the most logical sense, at least. Most people didn’t really want to talk to someone with motor oil under his fingernails and metal in his head. Sure, Bucky could hit it off well with the barflies and the bikers that littered the streets at night and bag a one-night stand if he really wanted, but he never really found any of those flings fulfilling. He liked the way he looked; he’d never change his style just to ‘fit-in’, but it definitely narrowed his options on finding a boyfriend, and he hated how black and white the romantic scene was when it came to who got to date whom. This, talking with the baker like an equal instead of getting looked at like he was going to mug him, was rather nice.

Oh right, he was asked a question. “Nah,” Bucky said as he cleared his throat. “I started working there when the garage opened. I just mostly worked in the back, but once I finished my training a couple weeks ago, they moved me to the front line. I ain’t gonna complain, at least I get to see the sun now. It’s gonna suck when winter hits though, ‘cause those doors usually stay open, and it’s gonna be freezin’ balls cold out there.” He paused, and wiped his hand off on a napkin before extending his hand to him. “Name’s Bucky, by the way.”

“Steve,” the blond replied, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Yeah if you need it, I think we’re gonna sell hot coffee and cocoa during the winter. You could always run over and get a cup if you need it.”

Bucky laughed. “Thanks, Steve. I’ll keep that in mind.” As he leaned back, he saw a faint pink tint to Steve’s cheeks, and instantly his heart hammered to life in his chest. He _really_ needed to stop ogling this poor guy before he freaked him out; so he tore his gaze away… or tried to at least. His eyes were like magnets as they darted back to Steve, locking on those blue eyes with laser point precision. God he had beautiful eyes...

Steve grinned, looking a little triumphant at his answer. “Good! I’ll even have a variety of flavors for customers, so if you get bored of just plain old chocolate, we’ll have something new for people to try. My finance manager has pretty good taste, so I’m sure he’ll insist on specialty brews for people to sample.”

“Wow, you people get really fancy around here dontcha?” Bucky asked, leaning back. He only had a few bites left of his cupcake, and his break was coming to an end soon. But... he figured he could spend a few more minutes talking to Steve. “So how is it running a bakery? Do you get swarmed by kids all the time? Birthday parties, and stuff?”

Steve smirked and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. You have no idea how busy it gets around here sometimes. It’s pretty slow today, and it’ll be slow for the next few days before the kids get out of school, but once it’s released for summer, we’ll be busy again.”

“And you work alone?” Bucky asked, sounding impressed. “I’d hate to be left to the tiny wolves and their pocket change all by myself. Hopefully they don’t break anything down in here. It’s really nice; kinda like some 1940’s style digs, ya know?”

“Thanks!” Steve exclaimed in overt enthusiasm as he beamed at him. “I was going for that look, actually. I was scouting out some cool vintage art on the internet to decorate the walls with, but I haven’t settled on anything particular yet. I think I went a little far with the patriotic thing, but it seems to attract a lot of people, so I won’t complain too much. I-I mean, not that you really care about that, but...”

As he spoke, Bucky’s eyes trailed over the baker’s features. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the sunlight streaming into the shop where they sat, but Steve’s face was beginning to turn red, and that hue was beginning to crawl its way down his neck under the collar of his shirt. Goddamn him, he was in trouble; if Steve could turn red like that from being warm, that meant he was a blusher, and a full-body one at that. _‘Holy hell, I have_ got _to stop thinkin’ about this shit!’_ Bucky thought to himself as he averted his gaze; still, the damage was done, and Bucky couldn’t shake the thought from his head that he’d love to be the reason Steve blushed like that, and wondered what it looked like crawling all over that broad chest of his.

The moment was broken by the sound of a shrill noise ringing to life, and they both jumped in their seats. Steve looked up, when he heard that buzzer going off in the back, and he offered Bucky an apologetic, almost-relieved smile. “S-sorry, I have to… uh, go check the oven. I think the next batch is done baking now.”

Bucky grinned, and waved his hand at him; he was a little grateful that the moment had been spoiled; he really didn’t want to think what horror would have transpired if he’d opened his big, dumb mouth one too many times and asked Steve something incredibly personal, like _‘Hey do you like guys, because I really wanna take you out on a date and then suck your face off’_.

“Don’t be sorry, I gotta get back to work anyway.” He swallowed down his last bite of cupcake and dusted his hands off into the nearest trashcan before standing up, hoping like hell his legs cooperated with him enough to get him back to the garage; damn his heart, a ten minute conversation with Steve and already he was in way over his head. “S-so uh… anyway, thanks Steve. It was really nice to meetcha. Your cupcakes are awesome.”

Steve flushed a little harder and looked down at the floor; shyly he scuffed his foot on the tiles before looking up at him with that adorable grin of his. “Thanks. It’s nice to hear, you know? I put a lot of love and effort into these things, so to know someone appreciated it… just means a lot to me.”

Bucky nodded at him in understanding and turned for the door. But just before he readied to step outside, he heard a voice clearing behind him. Bucky turned on his heel and looked back at the baker. Steve was standing by the counter and giving him a wistful, almost longing smile.

“Uhm… by the way. You didn’t look too bad, just so you know; I don’t care what anyone says, everyone’s allowed to go where they please, no matter what. You shouldn’t have to feel like you’re not allowed to go anywhere just because you don’t meet someone else’s standards. Don’t ever be embarrassed to wear that uniform, alright? Not a lot of people can fix cars; I know I sure as heck can’t.” Steve looked down at the floor, before he sighed. “Just… don’t be embarrassed to be yourself, alright?”

Bucky stared at him for a moment, completely blown over by the compliment he just received. He balked, completely unsure of what to say to that, before he swallowed and offered him a weak smile. “Thanks… really.” Steve really meant that, and that meant more to Bucky than he could ever really express; still, Bucky couldn’t help but read between those words and noticed that… maybe Steve was reminding more than just Bucky at that moment in time. Why Steve would feel the need to think that way Bucky had no clue, but he wasn’t about to bring it up. Bucky hedged by the door for a moment, his hand hovering just by the handle before he looked out the glass front to the garage. “Eh… thanks. I’ll… I’ll see you around, Steve.”

Steve nodded to him and waved. “Have a good rest of your day. Drink a lot of water, and don’t work too hard, Bucky...” His hand dropped, and he stared at him for a long, awkward moment. “… bye.”

With that, Steve turned and left the front of the bakery, disappearing into the back without a look over his shoulder.

Bucky stared after him, completely stunned by his words. ‘ _What... what the hell was that?’_ Bucky wondered, feeling his cheeks turning beet red again. He stood there, at the door, for a long moment before his senses came back to him. He shook his head hard, and stepped out into the oppressive heat of the early summer sun; he sprinted across the street until he was shielded from the blaze by the garage once again and slipped inside on near-silent feet. He stepped up to the card-punch and ticketed his timestamp before he leaned his shoulder against the wall just as the reality of that whole event came crashing down on him.

He stood there, processing what had just happened before he glanced over at the bakery across the street again. He didn’t see Steve through the glass front of the store, but he knew… just _knew_ , that blue eyes and blond hair was inside, working diligently on the most delicate treats someone could make. God… what the hell had he done to deserve such a nice day after all? He didn’t have to deal with the crotchety old loon and his broken sedan. He’d gotten a delicious cupcake to eat and enjoy. He got to talk to the hottest guy he’d seen in a long time.

This was definitely a good fucking day.

“What the hell are you grinnin’ about?” Brock’s voice cut in, startling Bucky from his thoughts. He looked up to see Brock staring at him, trying to get into the punch machine and take his own break.

Bucky stepped away from the machine and watched as Brock timed himself out for his half hour, and he shrugged, hoping like hell Brock would believe him. “I’m not grinnin’.”

“Yeah, you fuckin’ are, don’t lie.” Brock grinned; he punched Bucky in the shoulder before stepping away. “The hell didja go do on your break that you came back lookin’ like the cat that got his cream.”

Bucky rubbed his shoulder and winced at the dull ache that throbbed there. “Ow. Jesus man, that’s a new tattoo, don’t punch it,” he whined before glaring up at him. “I didn’t do nothin’, I went and got some food. Go eat your cold burger and shuddup.”

“A’right, a’right, don’t get yer panties in a twist.” Brock teased, before he stepped away again. “Go see Clint, he’s got a new chart for ya. And try not to piss yerself happy, ya dumbass. Stop grinnin’!”

‘I ain’t grinnin’!” Bucky shot after him; he rolled his eyes when Brock just waved at him over his shoulder and he turned away from him, frustrated at his teasing. Still, when his eyes landed on the bakery, he _did_ feel the corners of his lips turning up as he thought of the handsome man he’d spoken to during his break. “Steve…” he muttered to himself, testing the name out on his tongue. it rolled off nicely; an obscene thought of what _else_ about Steve would taste nice on his tongue crossed his mind, and he shook his head violently to clear those ideas. _‘Knock it off, Barnes,’_ he thought to himself. _‘He’s clearly straight, for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t flirtin’ back with you, you made him nervous. Get your fuckin’ mind outta the gutter…’_

With that, he turned away and headed into the office to get Clint’s newest chart for him; Still, he couldn't’ fight the urge and as he passed the front door, he glanced out at the bakery again. This time, he could see Steve at the counter, busy working on something, and his eyes lingered on him for a moment. ‘ _Maybe I’ll go over and get another cupcake soon… he wouldn’t mind me just talkin’ to him...’_

With that thought in mind Bucky decided, then and there, that he was definitely going to go back over to ‘Star-Spangled Pastries’ soon. What shame did he have if he bought a delicious snack _and_ got another chance to talk to that guy; even if it was all just a pipe dream, it was still a nice half hour to spend. There was no harm in ordering a cupcake from a hot baker… right?

* * *

 

Steve would never be more grateful for that faulty timer in his life. He’d vowed to get it fixed weeks ago, but his negligence had saved his ass from probably the most embarrassing moment of his entire life; he had been so _stupid_ to think that it was a good idea to go and sit down with the poor, overworked guy and strike up a fucking conversation with him like he had the right to. And now what had he gone and done? He’d gone and developed a damn _crush_ on him. In ten minutes!

The moment Steve had realized that he had encroached on some stranger’s private time without thinking, _and_ he’d started feeling the stirrings of something highly inappropriate the longer he sat with him, Steve knew he had to make a quick break before he did or said something he’d completely regret. So the moment that stupid timer had gone off in the back, Steve took his chance and attempted to book it…

...before stopping and shoving his foot down his fucking throat by telling Bucky something completely sentimental and endearing. What the hell was he thinking? Why did Steve think that Bucky would want to hear someone swooning over him like that? Sure the guy was flustered and blushing, but maybe he’d just made Bucky uncomfortable; uncomfortable in that jumpsuit, all muscles and sex and long hair enough to tug on....

 _‘Oh God, I’m so screwed...’_ he thoughtto himself as he tried to ground his erratic, aroused feelings before they got out of hand.

Steve wasn’t surprised that he found Bucky completely and irrevocably attractive; he had experimented in college, dating guys while he went to classes, but none of those dating experiences had ever really panned out. He unofficially classified himself as bisexual, but he had a feeling that most of his affections did lean towards men. He liked women well enough; they were beautiful, charming and lovely, but men… something about men struck him as exotic, delicious and downright sexy.

And Jesus Christ was Bucky fucking _sexy._ That guy just oozed masculinity and power from every pore on his body, and from his multiple piercings and the way his left sleeve pulled up on his wrist to showcase an obvious tattoo that lay underneath, he had the markings to prove it; Steve imagined that those tattoos crawled all the way up his arm like a beautiful, olive canvas of pictures and stories of every kind.

Honestly, when Bucky had started yammering on about looking disgusting and dirty and just out of place in his little shop, Steve had to stop those words before they got any farther out of hand; because while most people would have agreed with Bucky, Steve thought the exact opposite. He thought the dirt on Bucky’s face, the way his hair dangled haphazardly from the bun at the nape of his neck, his tired swagger, and the way his frame bulked out underneath that jumpsuit… Steve thought he looked like a wet-dream out of a dirty mechanic porno.

Steve inhaled slowly, trying to bring his heartrate down. He succeeded after a few long moments, though he was sure his entire face was still bright red. If anyone came inside, he’d have to make up some lie about the ovens in the back just to get out of this embarrassing situation. Fuck, the stirrings of attraction had even woken up his libido and he looked down at his groin, only to see the half-interested tent at the front of his jeans.

Shit. He hadn’t had an erection in months. Not for porn, not for magazines, not even for Sharon.

But for Bucky? He hadn’t had sex in months, but he was _definitely_ on board with the idea of screwing that mechanic’s brains out the first chance he got.

“Stop… stop, stop fuckin’ stop…” he growled at himself, slapping the side of his head as he tried to think of disgusting things to bring down his half-arousal. He plucked his glasses from his face and scrubbed his eyes, willing his erection away with every second that passed. What the hell was wrong with him? Bucky was clearly straight. _He_ was engaged for God’s sake; not as happily as he would have liked, but still!

Shit, he was fucking disgusting.

Still… as Steve finally managed to stifle his erection, and get his heart to gallop at a more sedate pace, he found himself wondering if Bucky really would come back to the bakery. He hoped like hell he hadn’t scared him off, because honestly, he would definitely like it if Bucky came back. He definitely wanted to talk to him and see him again (platonically, if he could manage it).

Finally calmed down, Steve found the courage to step back out into the main lobby of the bakery. He slipped behind the counter and fussed with the refrigerated glass casing, rearranging the cupcakes just to give himself something to do. He tried very hard not to think about Bucky, nor his spicy scent, nor the smell of mechanical oil in the air as he fixed up the counters and wiped them down, rather needlessly. He tried not to think of olive skin, a ponytail, and blue eyes as he adjusted the funds in the drawer. He tried like hell not to imagine what their next encounter would be like, when (if) Bucky came back.

Still, he couldn’t fight the urge for long, and he found himself looking up at the garage once again. He spotted Bucky standing by the office, and caught him looking back at the bakery for a moment before he turned his attention away. Steve stared at his profile and pushed his glasses up his nose to get a better view of him. Disgusting, he thought of himself as he openly admired Bucky’s figure from a distance. He was an engaged man. This was dangerous, and downright fucking forbidden…

Then again, there was no harm in just looking…

Right?

* * *

 

Here you go:

Baker Steve

Mechanic Bucky

 

You're welcome


	2. Coffee Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a failed date with Sharon, Steve realizes his engagement isn't as magical as it should have been, and their relationship is suffering more than ever. Despite this, Steve's day turns that much brighter when Bucky unofficially invites him on a coffee date, and the two grow closer. Maybe Steve's feelings for Bucky are much stronger than he originally thought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My deepest apologize if there are any slight typos in this chapter. I was attempting to edit this at 2 in the morning, because I promised you all I'd get a second chapter up by the end of the weekend. HERE IT IS!!
> 
> No photos this time at the end of the chapter. Just couldn't find any that really worked this time. Boo :(
> 
>  
> 
> Edit: I had someone mention that Sharon isn't in character, and I wanted to clarify. This is not Sharon Carter as we know her from the MCU or earth-616. This is a very original/ooc Sharon that doesn't reflect on her character, not the character of Peggy Carter. I just wanted to clarify that for everyone reading, just in case they had issues with this Sharon at all :)

Nearly a week after their chance encounter in the bakery, and Steve hadn’t seen Bucky since; honestly, he shouldn’t have been as disappointed as he was, but the thought of getting to at least say hi to him again- maybe shoot the shit for a couple minutes and just see how the other’s day was going- had been an exciting prospect for Steve. But when five whole days went by without sight of him, Steve began to wonder if it really had been just a fluke incident. With that disappointing revelation, he found himself sadly returning to his usual daily routine once again, feeling a little less chipper than ever.

Despite his disappointment, he was almost glad it was just a chance encounter. He couldn’t let himself continue to have such dangerous thoughts about someone when he was engaged to another woman; he was fairly certain that if he’d had the opportunity to see Bucky again, he would have gone and done something he would have come to regret. He was ashamed of himself to admit it, but it didn’t quite seem right that a ten minute conversation with someone could sway him so easily into the mere thought of straying from his relationship; it had to mean something that after 3 years with Sharon, Steve would find himself far more interested in the mysterious mechanic that had swooped in out of nowhere and piqued a long since dormant side of Steve he hadn’t known in a very long time. Steve might not have been a party animal in college, but he definitely used to be a lot more entertaining and care-free, with a dream of true love in his daily fantasies. Now he just felt old and used up, and he and Sharon hadn’t even shared their vows yet.

Still, the idea of cheating on Sharon rattled Steve to his very core. Steve always prided himself on having a strong moral compass, and even the fleeting thought of infidelity made his spine tingle with distaste. He really needed to get his head on straight and give up the ghost of Bucky before it was too late; he was marrying a beautiful woman, and they were going to have children in the future. What more could he possibly want?

To hell with Bucky; his life was going to be normal, dammit. Having dirty thoughts about another -most likely heterosexual- man while having dinner with his fiancée or picturing piercing blue eyes when he kissed his future wife was just not acceptable in the slightest. He’d get over this stupid crush. He _had to._ There was just no argument about it.

Even still, Steve couldn’t stop himself from gazing out the front window of his shop every twenty minutes for a chance to catch a fleeting glimpse of the brunet that had woo’d him so easily. For nearly a week straight, he did this every day, and still Steve couldn’t find him; it was as if Bucky had just vanished into thin air, like he’d been placed on this earth long enough to test Steve’s will-power. He liked to think he passed that test, even if his conscience told him otherwise.

Sunday night rolled around, and Bucky became a memory of the week prior; a fleeting moment in time for Steve that changed almost everything Steve had thought about himself for the past few years. Honestly, Steve was surprised he could remember the exact hue of his eyes at this point in time. Any other person, and Steve would have forgotten about them almost instantaneously. But not Bucky; Bucky had definitely made a lasting impression on the baker, and Steve would forever remember him as the twenty minute love affair of his life.

Well… it was fun while it lasted; now he just needed to get rid of that memory once and for all and remind himself of Sharon and the good thing he had in his life (he was 99% sure it was a good thing…).

So Sunday night came and Steve invited himself over to Sharon’s apartment in hopes of getting a bit of alone-time in with her before the two of them had to return to work the next morning. It was a relatively peaceful evening; Sharon cooked dinner for the two of them, and lovingly served it with a flair and a kiss on the cheek (it had turned out to be a bland, boiled chicken and rice dish that Steve had initially thought was some sort of science experiment gone wrong; when he’d asked about it, Sharon had been far too eager to remind him that a proper diet before their wedding was important if they wanted to look their best).

After dinner, they talked about odd and end things as they cleaned and dried the dishes; when that chore was complete, they then found themselves curled up together on the sofa with a bottle of Merlot, and Jeopardy playing in the background to cap off their night. _‘This is a nice night,’_ Steve thought to himself as he sat next to his fiancée, his arm draped around her shoulders. _‘See? This is what normal couples do. Normal people enjoy quiet nights with their loved ones. This is your life from here on out… no more fantasies, Steve… no more fantasies and daydreams. This is the real world now. No more thinking about Bucky... he’s not coming back...’_

“I was talking to Tony the other day,” Sharon stated quite suddenly, breaking the silence between them. Steve looked away from the television to her, raising a brow in question at her odd statement. “He came over while you were out on lunch, and I happened to stop by randomly. He’s saying that that garage across the street is giving you guys some business trouble.”

Steve sighed to himself and rolled his eyes. “He’s just being paranoid, that’s all. He thinks that we’re losing business because the garage across the street is driving customers away.”

Sharon snorted, rubbing her fingers along the line of her jaw as she listened to him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was right, actually… that place is filthy, and the workers there seem like real trailer trash. I saw two of them standing outside the garage smoking, and they were just laughing and spewing obscenities left and right at each other. It’s really sad that people like them can ruin a good neighborhood because they can’t act like civilized human beings. And the tattoos on one of them… Who does up their whole arm to look like a robot arm? That’s incredibly trashy. He’ll never get a decent job later on in life.”

Now _that_ just didn’t sit right with Steve at all; almost instantly, an overprotective urge bubbled up his chest and he fought every urge in his body to yell at her. Instead, he stared down at her, his eyes rounding in shock at her blatantly rude assessment of Bucky (it had to be Bucky she was talking about), and a deep-set scowl washed over him. “Wow, that’s harsh don’t you think? If you haven’t spoken to the guy, I don’t think it’s fair of you to go judging him because you think he’s trailer trash. He could be a really nice, sweet guy and you wouldn’t even know it.” With that, he moved his arm from her shoulders and leaned into the cushion at his back to stare at the screen in front of them with clear annoyance in his eyes. “Besides, being a mechanic is a good job. I’d like to see anyone try to fix their own car the way mechanics can. They get paid good money to do what others can’t. I’d like to think of that as a career, don’t you?”

Sharon looked up at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Wow, aren't you touchy tonight. I’m just saying, they’d gain a lot more respect from the neighborhood if they didn’t act like loud-mouthed frat boys and cleaned the place up, that’s all.”

Steve exhaled through his nose and glanced down at her with narrowed eyes. "It’s a garage, it's going to be dirty. Why are you so upset by that, it's not bothering you at all."

"I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying that Tony's onto something. No one wants to hang around a place where the populace look like tattooed, dirty assholes that can't act mature for ten minutes!"

The two of them fell silent, stifled by an aura of annoyance between them; Steve inhaled slowly through his nose as he stared at the screen, and his mind wandered over the argument they'd just had. They had been having more and more of those lately, and frankly it was beginning to bother him. Were engaged couples supposed to fight this much? He wasn’t sure, but it definitely didn’t seem right to him that they could succumb to these silly rows at the drop of a hat.

They didn’t speak again for a while, the discomfort in the air slowly ebbing away as their irritation faded minute by minute. Halfway through Double Jeopardy, Sharon had clearly decided she found something else to entertain her mind with, rather than dwell on the fight they just had. Turning into his lap, Sharon wrapped herself around his waist to kiss a faint line up the side of his neck, smiling a devious little smile as she attempted to turn Steve’s mind onto something other than the awkward silence between them. Normally, Steve would have found himself completely enticed by such delicate little touches, but he was still fuming over their argument to focus on her kisses.

He hid the frustrated sigh that threatened to consume him as she tried to elicit some sort of reaction out of him. There was _definitely_ something wrong with him if the idea of sex was the absolute last thing on his mind at that moment, and he found himself actually a little annoyed at her persistence. Steve felt fingers dancing up the front of his shirt, and a button pop as she worked the collar of his button up open with a deft hand. Finally, Steve twisted his eyes away from the television to look up at Sharon, his brow raised in bemusement. “Bored with the show?” he asked, just to give himself something to say.

Sharon smirked and hummed lightly as she leaned down to him; she cupped his jaw in her hand, and her eyes locked with his for a moment before she pressed forward into a kiss. Her lips were a whisper soft touch against his, and a giggle escaped her. “No… Just found something a little more interesting,” she murmured; Sharon swayed her hips slightly in his lap, rocking down against his groin to rub herself in slow, arching ruts against him.

Despite his irritation, Steve didn’t protest; perhaps this was the kind of distraction he needed from his traitorous thoughts of a mechanic with an amazing tattoo and soulful blue eyes; a small part of him felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect that maybe he’d finally get his brain back on track and put Bucky out of his mind for good. Maybe if he just let himself go and let Sharon take the reins this time, he could actually get somewhere and forget about their silly arguments and their awkward tension. It had been so long since he’d had sex and despite his tired libido, his mind just couldn’t shake the fact that he was in desperate need of some sort of release.

With that hope in mind, Steve leaned up and pulled Sharon back into a kiss; it was a practiced action, all tongue and nippy teeth, and he tugged on her bottom lip slightly as he pried his way into the recesses of her warm mouth. Sharon uttered a small sigh of content at his response and she leaned down into him to thread her fingers into the back of his hair, giving the blond strands a tug. Her hips gyrated a touch faster, and Steve gripped her waist as he waited to see if her actions would elicit a response out of him.

Nothing happened.

 _Nothing_! Not even a twitch of interest. He silently beat himself up as he forced himself to respond almost mechanically to her kisses, hoping that some magic switch would turn in his mind. They were a couple; normal couples did this...

But the moment Sharon’s fingers crawled under his shirt and traced invisible patterns over his bare chest, Steve felt a sliver of panic work its way into his throat, making his heartbeat ramp up a few paces and his fingers tremble in worry. The moment Sharon plucked his glasses from his face and tossed them to the cushion just behind her, Steve felt his skin turning to ice under her touches. His masculinity may have needed to indulge in sex…

...but Steve just couldn’t do it.

“Shar… wait...” he muttered around her kisses, almost frantic to get her to stop. He pushed back slightly, nudging her away from his chest before he sat up fully; with his back propped up against the arm of the sofa, he felt a little more grounded as he looked up at her confused face. “Shar, hang on… I think... I think I left something on at the shop,” he stammered out, in hopes that this lame excuse could pass for acceptable. Fuck, he hoped she listened to him.

Confused, Sharon looked down at him; her eyes widened an iota before she leaned back, disappointment etched across her features. “Left something on? Like the lights?”

“No, the oven.” The lie wove itself easily as he pictured the absolute horror of losing an entire day’s worth of business if such a thing were to occur; clearly, he was doing a good job, because Sharon’s disappointment quickly turned into concern as she listened. “If I leave the gas on all night, I won’t be able to fire up the oven tomorrow. I’ll have to shut down for the day, and the kids are off of school.”

Plucking her up from his lap, Steve deposited her back down onto the cushions before he grabbed his glasses from the foot of the sofa; he plopped the frames back down on the bridge of his nose and slipped on his shoes without bothering to untie them. He’d probably just broken the backs down, but in his haste to beat a humiliating retreat, he didn’t rightly care.

“Are you gonna come back tonight?” Sharon asked, looking up at him with a frown on her painted lips. “That’s all the way on the other side of town.”

Steve turned to her, and offered a weak little smile. “I guess not. It’s already almost midnight anyway; we should both just sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?” He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “Sleep well.”

Sharon sighed but returned the kiss anyway; she leaned up and pressed further, their lips slotting together for a moment before Steve pulled away to grab his keys from the side table. “Alright, whatever. We’ll talk more about the wedding stuff this week. Just give me a heads up before you want to meet up with me, in case I have to pull a double.”

Steve nodded and pocketed his cell phone before he turned away from her. A wave of relief crashed down over him as he realized his ruse actually worked; at least he wouldn’t face any embarrassing revelations this night. “Gotcha. I better run, before the gas leaks anymore. Get some sleep, Sharon.”

Sharon waved to him as he slipped for the door, her lips turning up into a smile. “Goodnight! Love you, babe!”

Steve froze at the door. For some reason, what should have been a comforting statement, just felt like ice picks grating down his back. He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes widening a fraction and his voice catching in his throat before he finally found his tongue again. “Yeah… you too, Shar,” he managed to say; in fact, he sort of applauded himself for being able to utter it as steadily as he did.

With that, Steve slipped from Sharon’s apartment and out to the warm, dark streets below. It was a rather humid night that night, and Steve found himself shrugging awkwardly at the sticky sensation of the air touching his skin; sadly enough, it felt a lot more comfortable than just moments prior, and he groaned to himself in dismay as he jogged down the street for his car and away from her apartment. He really needed to see a therapist or something; Sharon had just been in his lap, trying to have sex with him, and he’d fucking panicked. Panicked!

“Where’s a shrink when you need one…” Steve sighed as he cast a glance back over his shoulder towards the direction of Sharon’s apartment. In all honesty Steve had been wondering for a while now, whether or not this wedding was a good idea; the petty argument and the failed sexual encounter this evening had only cemented that worry further. He liked Sharon, very much so. He very much liked her company and her beauty was definitely unparalleled. But what Steve couldn’t shake was the thought that maybe there was something wrong with _him._ The last time he and Sharon had had sex, it had been incomplete. It had been boring. Christ, Steve couldn’t even remember if he came that night or not.

He just knew that after 3 years of being together, Steve was beginning to wonder if he and Sharon were even compatible. They didn’t like any of the same things anymore, and they had completely different life goals in their future. Sharon wanted kids, a big house with a white picket fence, and the trimmings of a normal, All-American life. Sharon hated pets, she had this ungodly interest in keeping up appearances with the latest hype and she constantly felt like she had to save face for the benefit of others' opinion of her. Conversely, Steve didn’t care what others thought of him. He didn’t feel the need to adhere to certain trend diets or clothing styles just to fit in. He didn't even really see kids in his future. All he wanted was his bakery, and the passion of a fiery relationship; he wanted a partner that loved dogs and cats as much as he did, a partner that appreciated his quirks and obsession with fantastical literature, art and history, and he wanted an apartment in the city to share with said partner; with those things, he knew he'd be content with that life.

There had been a time when he and Sharon had shared common goals and interests; there had been a time when they had been mostly compatible. He just wondered when the divide had occurred.

But Steve was almost thirty years old, and the idea of not getting married soon scared the hell out of him. He didn’t want to end up alone because he couldn’t find anyone else besides Sharon that would give him the time of day; he didn’t want to be the old guy at the bakery that lost his passion in life because he lived by himself. Besides… he cared about Sharon. She was wonderful in every way, and he was pretty sure she cared about him too. He just wondered if they shared the same kind of love.

Steve had been so caught up in his thoughts, he barely noticed that he’d actually made the twenty minute drive home. He crawled from the driver's seat of his car and stood outside his brownstone, staring up at the building with an exhausted huff and a mind full of cluttered emotions. He was tired, but he didn’t think he could sleep anytime soon. Maybe he could come up with a few more cake ideas before he finally knocked out...

So with that thought in mind, Steve ascended the stairs and let himself inside, locking the door behind him before he darted up the staircase that would take him to his apartment. With a quick twist of his wrist, Steve got the door to his apartment open and he stepped inside, enveloped in near pitch-black darkness. He relished the silence for a moment before flicking the lights on and grabbing his sketchbook off of the hall table next to him. With his book in hand, Steve marched into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and slipped into his bedroom where he slumped face first onto the mattress with a sullen groan.

It took Steve a good ten minutes to work up the strength to roll over and grab his pencils from the side table; when he finally did, he propped himself up on the pillows in his bed and flipped his book open to a clean page.

Steve enjoyed drawing when he was upset; normally it took his mind off of his problems and gave him a clean slate to think from once he’d finished his drawing. This time, however, he sat and stared at the blank paper for a long moment, completely bereft of ideas and even more agitated than he'd been just minutes prior. Fuck… artist’s block. He hated artist’s block. “Goddammit…” he groaned, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he stared at the Stucco ceiling above him, waiting for inspiration to strike. After another ten minutes, he found no such luck. It seemed that he wouldn’t be getting much planning done that night, after all.

However, the itch to draw was still strong in his fingers; almost instantly, the defined jawline of the mechanic popped into his mind, and the urge to sketch that chiseled, stubbled definition hit him like a lead weight. _‘At least it’ll give me something to draw...’_ he thought to himself as he pictured the near-eidetic memory in his mind for a beat. Gripping his pencil tightly, Steve began a basic outline of the mechanic’s head, wondering how far he’d get with this drawing before he got bored with it. It wasn’t cake planning but it was definitely something to do. _‘Besides,’_ he told himself, as his pencil flew over the paper in quick scratches. _‘It’s memory recall. It’s just an artistic practice, Rogers… that’s all it is.’_

At least he was comfortable enough telling himself that.

Within ten minutes, Steve had the mechanic’s torso, defined shoulders, and head roughly sketched out on paper; he stared down at the rough drawing for a moment, and he felt that lead weight in his chest lifting gradually. Maybe this was the closure he needed to get over that stupid crush of his...

Steve had a habit of falling in love with something on sight and obsessing over it until he immortalized it on paper; perhaps his earlier thoughts had only been another artistic itch that needed scratching. _‘He hasn’t been around since then,’_ he told himself as he filled in the details of his sketch, turning the rough lines into defined angles and darkening the pencil lead on the paper with each stroke. _‘You’re just getting yourself worked up. You’re nervous about the wedding coming up. You love Sharon. This is just a stupid artist’s crush, get over yourself.’_

Even still, when he finally managed to finish the drawing, Steve felt a hell of a lot better than he had an hour prior. He stared down at the picture in front of him; a photographic replica of the mechanic he’d spoken to just days ago stared back at him, and he admired the picture with satisfaction. He tried his damn hardest to ignore the delighted thrumming of his heartbeat in his chest as he stared into the pencil depths of Bucky’s eyes and with a pleased smirk, he put his sketchbook down. He didn’t even bother to go brush his teeth as he kicked his jeans off and crawled under the blankets of his bed in nothing but his boxers. He flicked the lights off with a tired groan and closed his eyes to get some much needed sleep. At nearly 2 in the morning, Steve didn’t really care much at all that he dozed off with his sketch book lying on the pillow beside him; in fact it almost felt comforting to fall asleep next to that picture.

When he woke up the next morning to see that drawing staring right back at him, well, he wasn’t telling anyone that that moment had made the entire, shitty weekend he had experienced, just a little bit brighter…

* * *

 

Steve really needed to get a fucking coffee pot in this fucking bakery.

Yawning wide and obnoxious into his fist, Steve shook his head as he scrubbed his fingertips over his eyes from beneath his glasses frames; he tried to focus on his sketchbook in his lap, but his exhaustion was making the task impossibly hard and his interest just wasn’t in the art he was attempting to create. It had turned out to be another slow day in the shop and he was stuck with nothing to do but stare at the walls as he waited for a customer to come in, the minutes ticking by sluggish and dull. He’d already gotten all of his preparatory work done for the next day, and the register had already been balanced. He’d already stuffed his face with food to try and keep himself awake, and he’d paced the bakery at least a dozen times, wondering when the hell he was going to get some business. God, he wished he had just gone to bed when he’d gotten home the night before. Waking up four hours later had definitely been a chore; he was getting old, that was for sure...

Just then, the sound of a car outside his store had Steve looking up eagerly from his book, and his eyes lit up with excitement. ‘ _Finally!’_ he thought to himself as he jumped down from the counter to wait for his customer to come in; the car had stopped outside his bakery and he watched the woman’s vehicle with bated breath. Only as he did, he saw the woman turn and stare at the garage across the street for a long moment. Even from over here, Steve could hear the overbearing sounds of mechanical gears grinding, the sound of a power tool buzzing to life, and the voices of the mechanics shouting at each other, cursing loud enough that Steve could hear every syllable uttered. With dismay, he saw the woman give the garage a disgusted look and then pull away from the curb, leaving his bakery behind.

Shit. Maybe Tony had been right after all. He hadn’t seen but ten customers in the past couple days, and he was starting to wonder if this was going to seriously affect his business. That morning had been the first time Steve had tossed out product, but when he’d checked the cakes in the glass case for freshness, a couple had actually gone stale with neglect. Throwing them away had been a serious blow to his confidence, and he had stared down at them in the trash can for a long moment, wondering if this was really the beginning of the end. Sure, he could relocate if he had to, but all the tenements in the nearby area were booked up and anything deeper in the heart of Brooklyn was just too expensive for what Steve could afford to pay rent on.

Disappointed, Steve tossed his sketchbook onto the counter and yawned again, stifling the urge to go curl up in a chair and just take a nap. It wasn’t like he was going to miss out on any business that was for sure. He scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck and wandered into the shop’s kitchen, casting only a momentary glance at the clock on the wall. He’d been open since 7am; it was going on 1pm now. If he didn’t get any customers by the time he closed down at 6, he was going to seriously consider buying Tony an apology bouquet for not believing him in his dire financial situation.

Only, when Steve slipped into the back to check and make sure the ovens hadn’t overheated again, he heard the bell of the door chime to life, ringing through the air sharp and clear. His heart leaped into his throat at the prospect of a customer at long last, and an excited bubble formed in his chest. At least he was going to have _one_ customer for the day; he whirled on his heel and walked briskly out to greet whomever had decided to come in at long last, smiling a million-watt smile as he did. “Hi! Welcome to Star-Span-...”

Steve’s voice caught in his throat and he blinked; in record time, his cheeks flushed a deep red, and he felt almost dizzy with the amount of blood rushing through his ears.

Holy hell, Bucky had come back.

A week; an entire _week_ and finally the mechanic came back into Steve’s life, brightening his shitty day like the sunlight breaking through the clouds. Still, Steve couldn’t shake the irony that the one customer he’d have the whole day would be the object of his obsessive, overpowering crush. That was just par for the course in Steve’s life.

Steve could see that the week had been kind to Bucky; he looked a lot cleaner and less tired than he had the last time he’d seen him. Steve didn’t want to think how relieved he was to see that Bucky looked a hell of a lot better than he had the first time they had met. It wasn’t like it was really his concern if Bucky’s health was alright, but… he was _really_ thrilled to see that the mechanic looked a million times happier than he had the week prior.

Currently Bucky was bent over, staring at the display counter that housed his art cakes with absolute interest on his tanned features. He was hovering in front of a collection of cakes Steve had formed to look like movie poster logos, and the smile that lit up his face was nothing short of infectious. Steve could feel his cheeks filling in an angry red as he tried to swallow around the lump that had formed in his throat. Why did Bucky have to bend over and give Steve a perfect view of his ass? Fuck, he had a nice ass…

“I think these are fake.” Bucky suddenly said, looking over his shoulder at Steve; the grin that he sported was nothing short of amused as he grinned at him with a knowing twinkle in his eye. “These are plastic, ain’t they? They look too fuckin’ real to be actual food.”

Almost instantly, the apprehension that filled Steve’s chest burst like a balloon and a relieved laugh caught him by surprise. Oh Christ, that was a challenge if Steve ever saw one; Bucky was teasing him, honest to God _teasing_ him. In that moment, every ounce of worry Steve felt was gone in the blink of an eye and he easily slipped into a playful mood he hadn’t experienced in a long time. If that was the game Bucky was going to play, then he was happily going to play right back.

“Nice to see you again, too,” Steve said by way of reply. He slipped around the counter to join Bucky at the display case, his hands folded behind his back as he stooped next to him. “Actually, they are 100% real. Everything you see on those cakes is edible.” He bumped his shoulder into Bucky’s and pointed at one cake in particular, gesturing to the artistic swirls that stood up three dimensional from it. “That right there? That’s fondant; it’s basically pure sugar that gets beaten into a clay and then rolled out to firm up. It’s good for sculpting when you get the consistency right.”

“Is there a real cake in there?” Bucky asked, looking impressed as he surveyed the cake with interest.

“Yup,” Steve replied, leaning back to smile down at him. “Fondant is pretty airtight so the cake doesn’t go stale for a long time, even when it sits out uncovered. Though I think the amount of sugar that’s on that thing might kill anyone, so I wouldn’t recommend eating it. It’s mostly for show, anyway.”

Bucky gave a low whistle as he stared at the cake in front of him with a laugh. “That’s wild, man. You ever consider joinin’ Cake Boss or somethin’ like that? ‘cause you’d blow em all outta the water if you submitted any of your work to ‘em. How’d you get so good workin’ with cake like that?”

Steve shrugged and stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. He felt slightly underdressed that day compared to the thick coveralls that Bucky wore once again; for some odd reason he’d decided to wear a t-shirt to work that day, and the t-shirt he’d chosen had been a little on the small side. He could feel the thin cotton pulling over his chest and biceps, and he shifted slightly against the faintly restricting shirt to pull the cloth more firmly against the broad expanse of his chest. He wondered, briefly, if Bucky noticed… “I was an art major in college. Working with paint and working with cake is pretty similar, when you think about it. Both of ‘em give you a hard time at the most inconvenient moments!” He laughed and stepped back to the counter, putting just a bit of space between himself and Bucky. “As for Cake Boss? Nah. Too much publicity for me. I like where I’m at right now…” He went quiet and huffed a sigh through his nose as his smile faltered. “Now if only I could get some customers to come in here and buy something…”

Almost instantly, he regretted saying that. He barely caught sight of Bucky looking up and lingering his gaze for a moment on him. Shit. Why the fuck had he said that? He didn’t mean to go looking for attention. Steve cleared his throat and looked down at the floor, hoping that Bucky wouldn’t bring it up or ask him what he meant by that; he hated looking like a charity case to anyone, and here he had gone and thrown the biggest pity party he could manage right on Bucky’s head. _‘Despicable, Rogers...’_

Hoping to save face, Steve changed the subject and gestured lamely to the counter in front of him. “So uhm… anyway, you uh, you want to pick something up today?” He asked, hoping that they could move on from that embarrassing slip-up and never speak of it again.

Bucky, seemingly unphased by the momentary slip (or at least receptive to Steve’s discomfort), simply ignored the statement and stepped up to the counter. ”Yep, was feelin’ a bit like stuffin’ my face with something ungodly sweet today, so I figured you wouldn’t mind me stoppin’ in.” He glanced down at the cupcakes in the glass case to survey them a long moment, and he smiled a little. “I was gonna pick somethin’ out myself but… this time, how ‘bout you pick somethin’ out for me. Since you know more about this stuff than I do, it’d be kinda cool to see what you think I’d like.” He looked up at Steve, and patted his pocket. “I got my wallet with me today, so there’s no worryin’ about me not bein’ able to pay for nothin’.”

Steve huffed a sigh of relief and looked down at the glass cabinet with a renewed vigor; God bless Bucky, he could certainly turn a sour mood around. In all honesty, it was kind of nice to be able to forget about his mood and his pity-seeking for a second and just have a bit of fun, even if it was trivial at best. Steve liked that Bucky wanted to joke around with him; he liked how easily he could make Steve feel better, and make him forget his frustration with just a smile or a joke to brighten his mood. He didn’t get those comforting moments often. So with a nod, Steve began to survey the cabinet in front of him, eyeing up each cake with a careful eye.

After a few moments, Steve finally settled on one in particular; he’d just decorated it that morning, and it stood out to him like a perfect prize for his customer. The cupcake was a dark chocolate ganache cake with a white fondant topping and an airbrush pattern that reminded Steve of a storm out to sea. He hadn’t actually been thinking of anything in particular when he’d decorated it; that’s how a lot of his cakes turned out. He would just let the mood take him, and then out would pop another art piece that he felt ridiculously proud of. This one, however, struck Steve as intriguing for an entirely different reason; the paint he’d used to color the topping bore a striking resemblance to the hue of Bucky’s eyes (he swore he hadn’t been thinking of Bucky when he painted it, no way in hell…). Yeah, he was definitely giving this one to Bucky.

“Here. Try this one,” he said, plucking it up with the wax paper and holding it out to Bucky. “Chocolate ganache with a berry twist in the icing. I think you’ll like this one.” He held his hand out with the cake in his palm; just before Bucky took it, he pulled his hand back and grinned wickedly at him. “Oh, almost forgot. Would you like sprinkles on it?”

The mechanic laughed out loud. “Jesus, you and your sprinkles,” Bucky snorted as he shook his head at him in amusement. “No sprinkles, thanks. It looks pretty enough without ‘em.” Bucky slapped down a ten dollar bill on the counter, and took the cake to begin unwrapping the paper from the base of the cupcake.

Steve smiled in delight at his response, feeling ridiculously proud that Bucky liked the way the treat looked; now he _really_ couldn’t wait to see his reaction to how it tasted. Satisfied with his sale Steve began to punch in the code for another 2 dollar cupcake, ready to discount the cake for his favorite customer just so he could keep seeing that smile on his face.

But just before he hit ‘enter’, Bucky’s hand shot out and clasped over Steve’s wrist, stopping him from ringing the sale through. Steve startled, his eyes blowing wide as he looked up at him in surprise. “Wha-”

“No. Charge the full amount for it.” Bucky said, looking up at him with a stubborn gleam in his eye.

Christ, Steve felt like his skin was on fire. He swallowed thickly as he stared down at the hand on his wrist, knowing full well that he was as red as a tomato once again. Jesus, even for work-worn, Bucky had amazing hands; they were warm to the touch and calming even with the hard labor he put in every day. Despite being an inch taller than Bucky, Steve was completely certain that Bucky was being gentle with him, fully intent on cupping his wrist like a delicate thing to be cradled.

Steve looked down at his hand, and his eyes ghosted over the cracked and slightly bruised knuckles covering the fair, smooth skin of his wrist; now more than anything, he wanted to kiss those knuckles, just to know what his skin felt like against his lips. “... a-are you sure?” he asked, swallowing his tongue again as he tried not to choke on his words. Fuck, he sounded so pitiful. _‘Weak, Rogers… just weak.’_

Bucky eyed him up for a long moment before he grinned; he nodded his affirmative and let go of his wrist, turning his attention back to the cupcake in his hand. “I mean it. It ain’t fair of me to take advantage of a good deed. You did me a solid once, Steve. That’s enough. I wanna pay for it, fair and square this time.”

Steve felt his heart fluttering wildly in his chest at Bucky’s words; how the hell did someone like him even exist in the real world? Steve didn’t know five people like Bucky; anyone else in this town, and they might have taken advantage of Steve’s generosity for as long as they could manage it. But not Bucky.

Bucky legitimately wanted to pay for a nearly ten dollar cupcake, just because it was the right thing to do. Steve could practically swoon on the spot.

That is, he _could_ have swooned just from Bucky’s generosity alone; but when he saw Bucky take a bite of that cake and moan practically in his face at the chocolatey flavor, that almost did him in completely. Steve swallowed heavily and averted his gaze so that he didn’t have to look at Bucky’s near-orgasmic expression as he chewed his way through the thick, moist dessert with delight. He was grateful to be standing behind the register now; Steve was pretty sure he was sporting another boner as he listened to Bucky’s delighted hum far too intently for his own good.

“Holy baby Jesus in a handbasket, the fuck do you make these things out of? Fairy dust?” Bucky asked, swallowing his cake down with a delighted huff of breath. “Christ, I don’t think anyone could hold a candle to your baking, Steve, and my Ma was a damn fuckin’ good cook.” Bucky finished his cupcake in record time, licking the chocolate off of his fingers with an eager smile on his face as he smiled up at him. “Yeah, I could definitely get on board with gettin’ fat on these things every day. Christ, that was good. Better than the praline one that was for sure.”

Steve’s eyes immediately diverted to Bucky’s mouth as he sucked chocolate off of his fingers with careful precision; a flush of heat crawled up the back of his neck and he licked his lower lip, hoping to God he didn’t look obscene ogling the mechanic like that. ' _That little Shit_ has _to know what he's doing... He didn't even use his napkin!'_

“Uh-hm... no magic or anything like that. Just… good old fashioned cane sugar and cocoa powder…” he muttered, tearing his gaze away from Bucky’s reddened lips enough to meet his gaze head-on; he managed to flash Bucky a smile that didn’t look like he wanted to lick his way into his mouth himself, and he felt a surge of triumph at his self-control, however failing it was.

His victory was short lived, sadly; almost immediately after he smiled, Steve found himself yawning hugely in his face and his eyes widened in mortification.  “Oh God!” Steve stammered halfway through the yawn as he covered his mouth with the back of his arm. “Sorry! That was… really rude of me, I’m sorry!”

Bucky stifled a laugh, but gave Steve a smile all the same. “Late night last night?” he asked, leaning his hip against the counter to regard him carefully.

Steve nodded and plucked his glasses from his face to rub his knuckles against his left eye. “Yeah… you could say that. Plus I woke up late, so I didn’t get to get coffee this morning.”

“Don’t you got a coffee maker here? I thought you said you were gonna start makin’ coffee for customers.”

Steve flushed red; Bucky actually remembered him making that stupid lie up? He rubbed the back of his arm and uttered a small laugh that bordered on a nervous giggle. “No not yet. Haven’t had the uh… the chance to start adding it to the register funds yet, you know? But... hopefully soon…” he trailed off, feeling stupid for making this shit up. It wasn’t a life or death situation, for Christ’s sake; he didn’t need to lie about a fucking coffee pot just to try and impress Bucky.

Even still, Bucky didn’t seem to catch on that Steve was lying about the coffee maker at all; he simply gave Steve a sympathetic nod, and he glanced down at his watch for a brief second. “I getcha. Not gettin’ your daily dose of Arabica beans can be a real drag.” He paused, and looked up at Steve from the corner of his eye. “So, I got… about 20 minutes left of my break. You wanna step out and get some coffee with me? You kinda look like you’re gonna fall flat on your face. Plus I know this great hole-in-the-wall coffee shop real close by that makes a great latte. Might do you some good, so you don’t accidentally chop off a finger or somethin’. I’m buyin’ if you’re interested.”

It seemed too good to be true; Bucky _actually_ wanted to spend the rest of his break with him. Steve knew, logically, that Bucky worked a lot harder than he did, day in and day out. Baking cupcakes didn’t hold a candle to fixing cars for 10 hours a day, yet Bucky still wanted to spend his hard-earned break with _him_ of all people. Steve wasn’t sure if God was playing some horrible prank on him, but he wasn’t about to look that gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he readily agreed to his suggestion, nodding far too eagerly to seem casual about the whole thing. “Sure! I got a lunch sign I can put up. Besides, it looks like it’s gonna be another slow day anyway. I thought it’d be busier with the kids out of school, but I guess I was wrong.”

Bucky laughed, and stepped away from the counter towards the door. “Oh you didn’t hear? They all had a snow day they hadta make up. Was talkin’ with one of the mom’s when I was fixing up her van; they were _supposed_ to get out today, but it got pushed back to tomorrow. I’m pretty sure you’ll have plenty of business then.”

Steve froze, staring at the mechanic across from him as he processed his words. Well, didn’t Steve feel like the biggest idiot in the world, why didn’t he think of that? He’d gone and assumed the worst, and worked himself into a tizzy over nothing. ‘ _I’m a moron… why didn’t I check the news this morning...’_ he thought to himself as he tried his hardest not to slap himself stupid for this oversight. Instead, he offered his companion a sheepish smile, twisting his apron in his fist with embarrassment. “Oh. Oh that… Well, Good! That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I thought we were gonna be in the hole this week. I didn't know they had school but... guess that makes sense now!”

Bucky just beamed up at him, rocking slightly on his heels as he listened to Steve gush his relief. “Yup. Thought you might wanna know, since you seemed so worried about it.” Bucky winked at him and stepped out of the shop, holding the door open for Steve. “Anyway, let’s head out! You look like you need a coffee IV, and I’m cravin’ a caramel latte somethin’ fierce right now.”

Steve chuckled and grabbed his wallet from beneath the register. He also plucked up the lunch sign from the cupboard behind the counter and hung it up over the open sign, turning the little clock hand to point at 20 minutes past the hour; with that taken care of Steve followed Bucky out of the shop and locked up behind them, flashing his companion a bright smile. “So where’s this place at? I could always use a good cup in the morning to get me going.”

Bucky snorted and motioned down the block. “Ya probably walk by it every day and don’t even know it. It’s tiny, but they got great coffee and good food. They started off like you; small and nervous about business, but they’re doin’ real good now. They get more business than the nearest Starbucks. You just don’t know it ‘cause they’re so small.” He began to walk down the sidewalk, casting Steve a bright smile over his shoulder. “This way!”

Steve watched him go, his eyes lingering on his back for a moment before he shook his head; he did not want to catch himself staring at Bucky’s ass again if he could help it (though he wasn’t too ashamed to admit that he really, _really_ wanted to). So with a smirk, Steve jogged up next to Bucky, the two of them walking side by side as they headed towards this mystery coffee shop.

Bucky had been right; within a minute, they arrived at their destination, and Steve was surprised to find that it was practically across the street from his apartment. “Wow, you’re right, this _is_ tiny!” He said, his eyes widening as he stared at the exterior of the coffee shop.

It didn’t surprise him that he’d never recognized it for what it was; the shop was hidden behind a wrought iron gate covered in ivy, and the sign for the shop was rather small; but once the two of them had stepped inside the little courtyard before them, Steve felt a flutter of excitement in his chest at the sight of it. Holy shit, he wanted to _draw_ this place! It was so quaint and cute, like a homey Irish garden with statuettes decorating the gardens, and little wooden tables for customers to sit at. The place was built almost entirely out of dark red wood, and the awning outside the shop was a deep maroon with gold trim on it. He could see inside the shop, and it struck him quite a lot like one of those fancy bistros you only see in movies. “It’s so nice! Why have I never been in here before?”

Bucky smirked up at Steve, and gave his back a gentle pat. “‘cause you were busy forkin’ over twenties for cheap coffee at a chain store. C’mon! Let’s go get a drink and sit down for a minute.”

Steve nodded dumbly and followed Bucky’s lead; just like the exterior of the shop, Steve was struck by how beautifully decorated it was inside, and he found himself falling in love with the decor with overt enthusiasm. The two of them stepped up to the little marble counter, and the girl that stood on the other side smiled up at them with cherry red lips and a bubbly giggle as she greeted them both. “Hi. Uhm… do you have iced lattes here?” Steve asked; he was surprised to see that this place didn’t actually have an overhead menu. It seemed like a pretty exclusive place; clearly, you had to _know_ this place existed to really get the benefit of enjoying its drinks. He’d have to learn what they did and didn’t sell here, because there was _no way_ he wasn’t coming back.

“Yup, we sure do! Do you want a flavor in it? We’ve got caramel, hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and amaretto if you really want to get crazy!” The girl giggled, gesturing to the flavor syrups on the counter.

Steve looked over the counter at the flavors and smiled. “Hazelnut sounds good. Two pumps please?” he said, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.

Suddenly, he flinched his hand back when he felt a slap on his wrist; he looked over with wide eyes to see Bucky giving him a look and he blinked in surprise. “Ow... what was that for?” Steve asked, rubbing his wrist with an exaggerated pout. The slap didn’t actually hurt… but the look his pout put on Bucky’s face was _so_ worth the extra effort.

Bucky groaned and looked away from him, his cheeks flushing pink as he covered his eyes with his palm. “Damn, that expression is lethal, man. Don’t do that to me, I hate seein’ people pout! And I toldja! I’m buyin’ today. Put that shit away,” he said, gesturing to Steve’s wallet.

Steve looked down at the wallet in his hand, and he grinned; oh right… Bucky _had_ mentioned that he was buying coffee today. Steve wouldn’t complain; free coffee was free coffee, and if it made Bucky happy, then he’d gladly let his new friend pick up the tab this time. Steve relented finally and put his wallet back in his pocket. “Jeez. Okay, fine you can buy today.” Steve chuckled. He shot the girl working at the counter a look that only said ‘What can you do?’, and graciously stepped back to allow Bucky his moment.

The girl looked between them for a moment before her grin widened impossibly farther and she winked at Bucky. “Alright then! One hazelnut iced latte, and one caramel for my favorite regular!”

Bucky nodded and leaned over, slapping a twenty down on the counter with a flourish. “Thank you so much, Darcy; you’re a doll. You know I always love comin’ here when you’re workin’.” He said, winking at her in return as he leaned his hip against the marble countertop with a casual air.

Steve glanced between them, and noted the way they looked at each other far more intently than he liked; a bubble of irritation formed in his stomach at the looks they shared and he found himself turning away to examine the art on the wall instead. Oh for God’s sake, now he was jealous of the barista? What was his actual problem?! He was engaged, and Bucky was straight; this honestly shouldn’t have been an issue to begin with!

His irritation didn’t last; as he stood examining the art, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned back to see Bucky smiling at him. “Are they done?” He asked, turning away from the fresco.

“No, Darcy will bring them out. Let’s go sit outside in the shade. I’m real glad it turned out to be such a nice day. I didn’t have to sweat my ass off, workin’ at all!” Bucky laughed as he turned for the door; he held the door open for Steve once again and gestured outside. “C’mon. I only got 15 minutes left, dude!”

Steve felt himself flush slightly as he glanced at the clock. While he didn’t necessarily have to rush back, Bucky was on a time crunch; he had to remember not to waste his time and get Bucky in trouble. So with a nod he followed Bucky outside, where they sat down at a small table next to a little fountain and relished the peaceful atmosphere around them both. Steve lounged back in his seat, smiling a little as he stared up at the blue sky above him. “This really is a nice day…” he murmured, looking down at Bucky. He found himself surprised to see that Bucky had actually rolled his sleeves up a bit to catch some breeze, and his eyes immediately went to Bucky’s left forearm.

Just like he thought, his arm was covered in ink; but instead of a smattering of artwork, Steve only saw what appeared to be mechanical wiring and plates etched into his forearm. The tattoo ended just above his wrist bone, leaving his hand a stark, almost pale contrast to the dark grey, silver, and black lines that covered his forearm. Bucky obviously knew what he was doing when he’d gotten it done; he could easily hide his tattoo under a long sleeve if he needed to, and no one would be the wiser.

Almost instantly, he remembered the conversation he and Sharon had the night before, and he realized that Sharon _had_ seen Bucky from a distance; the main difference between them, however, was that Sharon thought Bucky’s tattoos were trashy and unnecessary, while Steve thought the concept was incredibly astounding and the art shockingly beautiful. “That’s an interesting tattoo. Any story behind it?” he asked curiously.

Bucky had just put his phone back into his pocket when Steve asked him about his tattoo. He looked down at the ink for a moment, seemed to war with himself for a moment, then finally looked up at Steve and shrugged. “Not really. I just thought the design looked cool, so I got it done.” He gestured to his tattoo, running his palm up the length of his arm to his shoulder. “It goes all the way up here.”

Steve’s eyes followed the trek of his hand, and he found himself staring at Bucky with interest. “Wow, your whole arm looks like a robot arm? That’s real cool! Kinda original too; normally, I just see people with a bunch of little art on their bodies.” A large part of him hoped he, too, could get a good glimpse of his ink someday; it wasn’t exactly fair that his fiancée had gotten to see and degrade it, when he wanted nothing more than to appreciate the art on this beautiful man’s skin. He laughed as he remembered his years in college, and he leaned back, admiring his companion with a carefully hooded gaze. “I almost half-considered becoming a tattoo artist, but… I ended up liking baking a hell of a lot more.”

Just then, Darcy came out with their lattes, and he took his with a smile. He sipped through the clear straw as he sampled the flavor, and he knew he was instantly hooked on this coffee for life. _‘Yeah, this is definitely better than Starbucks…’_ he mused, taking another grateful sip of his drink.

“No shit?” Bucky asked, laughing slightly. “That woulda been cool though. You got the look with that cute little piercing of yours."

“Oh God, don’t even bring that up,” Steve said, covering his nose with his hand as he gave him an embarrassed smile. “I dunno why I got it… I like it, but there’s… some people that think it looks stupid on me. I almost took it out a few times because of it; like… they say it’s not fitting for someone that owns their own business, you know?”

“Aw fuck ‘em! It looks good on you!” Bucky protested, his eyes widening in dismay at his words. “Don’t you ever take it out ‘cause of what someone said. You know how much shit I got for my tattoos? A lot, and I still love ‘em. No one else’s opinion matters in this big damn world, ya know? You gotta live with you, and if you like your piercing, you damn well keep it.”

Steve nodded and looked down at his latte. “Yeah I know. Guess I just got worried because business has been slow lately. I started wondering if I shouldn’t have been a tattoo artist instead, or at least got a job in some office somewhere, with steady work. I mean, there’s really not a lot of call out there for cake artists, huh.”

Dammit there he went again, looking for pity! What the hell was wrong with him? Steve wasn’t one to complain or vent to anyone about his feelings, but here he’d done it twice to Bucky in a half an hour timespan. He really had no clue why he couldn’t stop seeking out Bucky’s approval...

Then again, maybe he did know. Steve was about 90% sure that Bucky could make him feel better for just about anything, and that was a dangerous thought in itself. He didn’t get that kind of support from Sharon… not really. But Bucky was like a breath of fresh air, and a soothing balm for all of his insecurities, and Steve found that he craved his appreciation more than anything.  

Bucky stared at him as he spoke; when Steve finished, he leaned over the table and leveled a gaze at him. “Don’t gimme that shit.” Bucky said, his eyes determined as he spoke. “Tattoo artists are a dime a dozen, and workin’ in an office instead of followin’ yer dreams is the biggest way to die young. Cake artists are rare, and yours look like masterpieces! I can tell you put a lot of love into your work, and anyone that can’t see that ain’t worth squat. You do you, Steve and don’t you give a damn what other people think.” He paused and leaned back in his seat, giving Steve a sly smirk. “Sounds kinda familiar don’t it?”

Steve bit his lip and looked up at him over the tops of his glasses. Despite his uncertainty, Steve knew that Bucky was 100% right. Sure enough, Steve felt a hell of a lot better about himself and his own confidence grew tenfold as he listened to him speak. How did Bucky do it? It seemed he just didn’t have a care in the world and all the self-assurance one could possibly have, and he made it look so _easy._ Steve wished he had that sort of fortitude; sure he had all the willpower in the world to defend other people, but when it came to himself, Steve was the first person to walk all over himself and criticize his efforts. It didn’t matter how many people told him otherwise, he always felt the same, no matter what.

But with Bucky’s assurance and confidence in him, Steve actually _believed_ him. There was no one else that had ever managed to accomplish that in Steve’s life… not a single one. “Guess you’re right, yea,” he murmured, feeling almost himself again as he beamed up at him.

“‘Course I’m right. I’m Bucky Barnes, after all.” Bucky laughed, winking at Steve from across the table. With a grin, Bucky dropped his hand to his pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes. He plucked one out and held the pack out to Steve. “Want one? If not that’s cool. I won’t smoke around ya if ya don’t want me to, either.”

Steve looked down at the pack and read the crumbled “Lucky Strike” logo for a moment before he shook his head. “No thanks, but you can smoke if you want. I don’t mind.”

Bucky nodded and popped the filter in between his lips. With that, he pulled out a Zippo and flicked it open, getting a flame going before he lit the cherry of the cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke away from Steve’s direction. They fell into companionable silence, Bucky smoking and Steve drinking his coffee with great care.

“Are ya lonely?” Bucky suddenly asked, shaking Steve from his thoughts. “I mean, you wouldn’t be goin’ on about how bad you felt about your shop if you ain't lonely, or at least in real need of a good pep talk now and then.”

Steve looked up at him, frowning a little; dammit, it was as if Bucky could read him like an open book. It was actually kind of frightening how in tuned they were to each other after just talking twice. Even still, Steve smiled at him and pondered his question. “I guess a little bit. It’s nice to talk to customers when they come in, but when it’s dead, it gets really boring; there’s only so much I can bake or prepare before I have too much and it goes to waste. So I just draw or sketch or read when no one’s in the shop,” Steve admitted, looking a little embarrassed of his answer.

Bucky frowned sadly as he listened to him talk. “That ain’t right, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how much it sucks that you don’t get to talk to someone. I mean where I work we’re all a bunch of loud-mouthed hobos that yell dick jokes at each other, but it’s at least sort of fun.”

Steve laughed out loud. “Yeah, I can see from across the street when the mechanics start yelling at each other. It’s a hoot watching you three arguing or joking around sometimes. I don’t mean to laugh but it’s kinda funny. There’s one mechanic... he’s older looking, dark hair… he’s a riot to watch when he’s mad.”

“Oh God, yer talkin’ about Brock. He’s a vet mechanic and he’s crabby as hell; but for some reason he really likes me and no one can figure out why; he’s always by my station, talkin’ to me and jokin’ around and shit. He thinks it’s his job to gimme dating advice, too.” Bucky leaned forward, and whispered conspiratorially to Steve. “His idea of a nice night out is to tell me to take someone out, get em shit faced and then make ‘em watch wrestling. I’m not even jokin’ that’s his idea of a good date.”

Steve barked a laugh out, slapping his hand on his face. He knocked his glasses askew and they fell to the table with a clatter; not that he cared much. If they broke he had a spare pair to use. “Oh my God, really? Wrestling? I guess if that’s the kinda sex you’re into it makes sense, but wow.”

“I wouldn’t wanna ask him, I don’t wanna know where he sticks his dick.” Bucky replied, cringing slightly at the thought.

Steve roared louder, laughing loudly as he leaned back in his seat. “Oh my God, you’re a riot. I wish I could hog you every day to talk to you. You’re amazing.”

Almost instantly, Steve flushed red and he looked up in horror at Bucky as he realized what he’d said; ‘ _Perfect, let’s scare away the guy you’re crazy about, Steve, Jesus Christ!’_ he thought to himself before he stammered. “I-I mean, you know... that was…” he balked, his blood freezing in his veins as he was unable to come up with a good excuse. He was so fucked now; him and his big, stupid mouth. “Eheh…uh wow c-can I even not be weird today?”

 _‘Oh yeah, he looks uncomfortable,’_ Steve thought to himself as he saw Bucky flushing slightly where he sat. _‘Well, there went that friendship. Good work, idiot...’_

He honestly expected Bucky to say something; he expected him to remind Steve that he was way crossing a line, maybe put him in his place for openly flirting with him. Maybe even tell him to take a hike. None of that happened. Instead, Bucky just flushed and laughed, scrubbing his fingers through his hair before pulling the tie out. His hair fell around his face in a dark curtain, and Steve swallowed heavily. Bucky’s hair was a hell of a lot longer than he had originally thought and it looked soft as hell; soft enough to run his fingers through, even.

It just wasn’t fair; Bucky was beautiful, charming, funny, brave, _and_ he had great hair? He was literally the whole package, and here Steve sat, ruining it by being a damn moron. ‘ _Still… I’d definitely love to tug on that hair...’_

“Hah! Don’t have to be sorry, Steve.” Bucky replied, looking up at him; his flush had faded away slightly, and the smile he had on his face was genuine, almost grateful. “I don’t get compliments like that, like ever. Most people say I’m loud-mouthed. I’m just glad to see someone likes my sense of humor, ya know? Means I’m doin’ somethin’ right. And if you think I’m funny, and yer lonely, I’ll definitely do what I can to make ya feel better whenever ya need it. I’ll just make faces at you from across the street. See if I can’t get ya laughin’ at random parts of the day, just so I can get you to smile.”

Steve’s eyes snapped up from the table to Bucky’s and he stared at him for a moment; his stomach fluttered happily at the thought that Bucky was that concerned for his happiness that he was willing to sacrifice his dignity by teasing him from across the street whenever he wanted. He saw the flush on Bucky’s cheeks and the way he hid in his coffee cup, and Steve realized that he was flustered; not by Steve’s words, but by his own. _He felt silly too._ Clearly, Bucky hadn't actually anticipated on saying that out loud, but what was done was done, and now even Bucky looked like he wanted to crawl in a hole of embarrassment. God, if Steve didn’t know any better, he would have said that that was the expression of a man that didn’t get many good vibes from people either; that maybe Bucky sought some sort of approval too… Maybe they were even more similar than they thought.

“I’m on board with that plan. Maybe I’ll do it in return, too. Just to say thanks for all your hard work.” Steve murmured, smiling at him from across the table as he put his glasses back on. He saw a relieved, almost eager smile on Bucky’s features, and he couldn’t help the laugh that left him. What an insane day this had been.

It occurred to him that he hadn’t felt like this around anyone in a very long time. He felt lighter than air and thoroughly pleased with the idea of just sitting here with Bucky, talking, enjoying the sun and each other’s company; add in the mix of Bucky buying his coffee for him, and the two of them making plans together, no matter how small or ridiculous…

Well, damn. Had Steve just been on a coffee date?

“Shit.” Bucky muttered suddenly. Steve broke from his headspace to see Bucky staring at his watch and he frowned. “I gotta get back to the garage, I’m five minutes over. I didn’t even pay attention to the clock.”

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Bucky!” Steve exclaimed, looking a little ashamed. Here he’d been enjoying the hell out of himself, and he had made Bucky late to clock back in from his break. “If you need to go, I can finish up by myself.”

Bucky looked up at him, his eyes landing on Steve’s cup. Steve was only about half finished with his drink. But much to his surprise, Bucky simply settled back into his chair and flashed him a lazy grin. “Nah… they can stew for five more minutes. I’ll walk ya back after you’re done.”

“Bucky... it’s literally down the block…” Steve started, raising a brow at him.

“I wanna walk you back, dammit. I’m being a gentleman, Stevie. Let me be a gentleman for once!” Bucky shot back, challenging him with that same lazy smile. “Now drink your coffee and shuddup.”

Steve snorted and shook his head. “You’re a hoot…” He laughed, but turned his attention back to his coffee to try and stifle the excited giggle that wanted to escape his throat. _‘He called me Stevie…’_ he thought to himself giddily as he sipped his coffee with vigor. Yeah, he’d been on a coffee date for sure.

He didn’t know if Bucky thought of it as a coffee date as well, but once Steve had been dropped back off at the bakery, he knew the rest of his day would be absolutely perfect. He didn’t think about his stupid wedding one bit, and he never stopped grinning the rest of the day. Not for a second.

* * *

 

Steve sat at his breakfast hutch the next morning, staring down at his sketchbook as he munched his way through a lox bagel with delight. He had managed to spit out 4 different cake designs the night before in record time, and he felt damn proud of himself for that accomplishment. He hadn’t been that full of ideas in a very long time, let alone inspired enough to draw four full art plans in just a few hours. He didn’t really want to admit it, but he had a good idea of why that might have been.

Steve hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

After he and Bucky had walked back to the cupcakery, Bucky had left Steve with a wave and an actual hug, before slipping across the street to the sound of Brock screaming obscenities at him for being almost 15 minutes late from his break. Steve had stood at the front of the cupcakery, stunned into silence by that hug and his stomach fluttering wildly in his chest until his pulse was hammering in his ears. He only came back to himself when a kindly old woman asked him if she had his permission to buy a dessert for her granddaughter’s birthday party. He had apologized profusely to the woman for his mindlessness, but the smile on her face told him that she knew what he was thinking, and quietly complimented him on his taste in men before she left for the day.

The rest of the day Steve had stolen looks out the front window whenever he could. Every once in a while, Bucky would look up at Star-Spangled Pastries, and pull the most ridiculous face he could manage, knowing that Steve was watching him, and every time Steve would burst out laughing, his good mood soaring higher and higher with each moment.

But what had made Steve’s day, was the fact that every customer Bucky tended to actually came over to the cupcakery to try out his food while they waited for their mechanic to fix their cars; to top it all off, almost every single one of them walked out with at least a dozen cupcakes in a box, praising Steve for his work and promising that he had a customer for life from every one of them. When Steve asked one customer where he had heard of his shop from, the customer had mentioned that his mechanic had said he sold the best cupcakes in the world, and he wanted to try them for himself.

Business had been so good the rest of the day, Steve almost sold out of cupcakes by the time he closed the shop down for the night.

By the time Steve got home that night, he had been in such a good mood he’d dropped down on his sofa with his sketchbook and filled the pages with art, drinking beer and listening to music happily as he sketched and sketched, fueled by his “date” and the prospect of seeing Bucky the next day. When he’d woken up the next morning, his good mood hadn’t soured one bit.

Now here he sat at his hutch, finishing off a bagel and packing his sketchbook up as he readied himself to walk to the shop for another good day at work. He’d actually set aside an extra ten minutes to run into the new cafe and get himself a decent cup of coffee for his long hours ahead. He had made damn sure he didn’t miss out on another Hazelnut latte if he could help it.

With his plans laid out, Steve slipped out of his apartment and practically jogged to the cafe; he ordered his drink to go, and then happily walked the ten minutes to his shop, ready to open up and get his ovens going for the day.

Only when he got there, he saw a box sitting outside his store; one, singular brown box that looked like it had been left there, rather than a delivery from an unwitting postman that didn’t know he took his deliveries through the back door. Steve paused and looked down at the box with confusion, wondering where the hell it had come from. It was rather large, and wrapped in brown paper with a string bow tied haphazardly around it. There was an envelope taped to the top of it, and he saw his name scrawled across the front of the envelope in messy handwriting.

Confused, Steve let himself into the shop and then grabbed the box, carrying it into the store and setting it on the back counter. He stared at it for a moment, wondering what the hell was possibly in it; for one wild, irrational moment, he thought that someone had left it there as a prank to him, and he almost feared opening it. Instead, he pressed his ear to the side of it, listening for any sounds coming from inside. There were none.

Steve let his curiosity get the better of him, and he set the taped envelope off to the side, leaving it for last. With that, he tore the brown paper off, only to find a cardboard box taped shut inside. He popped the tape open with the tip of a pen and opened the flaps of the box up to peer inside. What he saw inside made him gasp out in surprise and excitement.

“What?!” He laughed, plucking out the coffee machine that sat inside it. Next to the machine there was a large bag of fresh coffee grounds and some paper filters. Steve picked up the coffee grounds and turned it over, only to have his cheeks flushing dark pink and a giddy laugh bubbling up his throat. It was hazelnut flavored coffee.

“What the hell…” he breathed, putting his things down and picking up the envelope; he tore the envelope open and pulled out a piece of paper. The paper had a short note scrawled on it in that same messy handwriting, but Steve could read it clearly. He didn’t think he could have blushed any harder when he realized that his surprise gift had been left behind by his resident mechanic.

 

**Steve,**

**I know it ain’t a big fancy cappuccino machine or nothing, but I figured this might do ya some good for the time being. I use this brand of coffee all the time, but I never had the Hazelnut flavored one yet. You gotta let me know how it tastes. I didn’t know when you would find the box, so I’m sorry i didn’t put any creamer in there with it. Didn’t want it to spoil and ruin the whole thing, ya know?**

**Anyway, here’s some coffee for your boring days at work. Don’t fall asleep on the counter again. I saw you dozing off there, yesterday. Enjoy!**

**Bucky**

 

Steve stared at the note for a moment, his eyes skimming over Bucky’s handwriting as he read it again. Holy shit… he’d _never_ gotten something like this from anyone before in his life. Steve honestly felt touched; it was just a coffee pot, but it was the most sentimental, meaningful gift he’d received from anyone, and he found his grin returning tenfold as he admired his present happily.

He looked up at the garage, feeling like his heart would just explode out from his chest with delight. Then he felt guilty… _really guilty._ He hadn’t felt this content around Sharon, ever; in fact, he couldn’t remember a moment in their three year relationship that he’d felt quite like this before. Sure, the two of them had had an explosive start to their relationship; they had been handsy, always over at the other’s place, they had sex all the time… then it just stopped with no provocation whatsoever. It was as if they had hit a plateau to their relationship that only seemed to steadily decline as the days passed. Steve felt bad because he was _supposed_ to be madly in love with his fiancée. But what he felt for Sharon was _nothing_ like he felt for Bucky.

It didn’t help that Bucky was 1000% delicious and irresistible in a way that Sharon had never been, but he wasn’t going to mention that out loud. He still didn’t know if this was a completely platonic gift, or if Bucky really _was_ flirting with him after everything they’d talked about.

Fuck, he hoped Bucky was flirting with him.

“DAMMIT, Steve! Stop it!” he suddenly burst out, slapping his hand on his forehead as he realized exactly what the hell he was thinking. “You are ENGAGED, you fuckin’ idiot!”

He growled to himself in frustration, and turned away from the box to set the coffee machine on the back counter with a little more force than necessary. He paused for a moment, taking a breath to steady his frustration before he glanced down at the letter next to him. He stared at Bucky’s chicken-scratch writing for a long moment, before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his menus before he found his photo gallery, and he pulled up a photo he had had had taken of himself and Sharon, three years ago when they had just started dating. She was piggy-backed on him, and the two of them were smiling brightly at the camera. He couldn’t remember who had taken the photo of them.

He scrolled through the photos he had on his phone, watching with a sort of tired dismay as he watched the number of photos of himself and Sharon dwindling away to one or two every dozen photos. Then every two dozen photos. Then they had stopped. Completely.

The last photo he had taken with Sharon had been at a Christmas party, the year before this past holiday, and neither of them looked entirely thrilled in the photo. He remembered they had just had an argument before the photo was taken, and had both desperately tried to save face for the occasion. Steve knew the fight hadn’t been about the wedding; he hadn’t even proposed to her at that point.

Steve stared at the photo for a long moment before he put the phone away and stared at the back wall. When had it all changed? He thought he still loved her; he still cared about her and worried for her safety and health, but… he hadn’t wanted to have sex with her in months, she didn’t call him at night anymore, they barely even went out, and all they did was argue about stupid things. _What the hell had changed?_

Once again, Steve looked over his shoulder to the garage across the street, and he stared at it for a long moment. Here he was, crushing on another man while dubiously engaged to his girlfriend, and he didn’t really know what to do with this situation. He didn’t want to jump all over Bucky, if Bucky was completely straight and he had been reading their encounters wrong the whole time…

But it _really_ seemed like Bucky was flirting back with him. Who else would buy a rather expensive coffee machine for someone they just met, just on the whim of “hey I can't afford to buy a coffee pot and I’m tired all the time”; nobody did that if they didn’t have some sort of interest for the other person, did they?

Steve knew, logically, that he was treading on rocky territory. He knew that the relationship between himself and Sharon wasn’t what it used to be, and no amount of attempted sex, or talking, or flowers was going to fix that. But… he didn’t want to break up with her in a way; he’d made a promise to her that he would marry her, and he felt obligated to keep that promise. He didn’t want to break up with her, not until he knew that Sharon herself wasn't fully invested in the relationship. The wedding? Oh hell yes, she was more than invested in the wedding.

But was she invested in the relationship? With Steve himself? He wasn’t so sure anymore.

Steve wished he had some sort of magical answer in front of him. Because if he had the full opportunity, he would be more than willing to ask Bucky out on a date, even only after speaking to him twice. He and Bucky had a shockingly similar sense of humor, they seemed to like the same things, and they both understood each other’s insecurities and comforts, after just speaking twice in their lives; they just _clicked_ and Steve could feel that between them. But if Bucky wasn’t gay, and Steve came on too strong…

God he was getting a headache just thinking about all of this.

Annoyed and mood somewhat ruined, Steve put the box down on the floor and turned to set up the coffee machine to get a good pot brewing. He decided, then and there, he wasn’t going to do anything about Sharon _or_ Bucky, until he knew both of their intentions. If Sharon wasn’t invested in him anymore, then he needed to end it between them before they actually got married and fucked everything up. If Bucky was flirting and interested in him, Steve needed to figure that out before he let probably one of the sweetest guys he’d ever met disappear from between his fingers.

“And now I’m living in a Lifetime movie…” Steve said aloud, staring at the ceiling in exhaustion.

The clock was ticking by; he had to get the store open soon, and dawdling here thinking about his messed up romantic life wasn’t getting him anywhere. With that in mind, Steve listened to the pot percolating as he set up the shop for business, opening the till, and getting the first batch of batter into the oven to start baking.

Just as he went to open up the door and turn the Open sign on, he saw a silhouette making its sleepy way towards the garage and he paused. Steve peered closer and his heart ramped up at the sight of Bucky schlepping his way into the garage to start his own work day. He watched him for a moment before he had an idea; maybe this could give him a read on where Bucky stood with his feelings for Steve.

Walking to the back of the store, Steve grabbed a container of Styrofoam cups and filled one of them up with the freshly brewed coffee. With his offering in hand, Steve slipped out the front of the store and crossed the street towards the tired man just a few dozen feet away, hoping to get his attention before he disappeared into the garage.

“Bucky!” He called. Bucky turned, still in a half-asleep daze, and looked up at Steve in bewilderment. Steve felt his skin curling with delight at the adorably drowsy look that sat on Bucky’s features as if he were still mentally asleep, and he held out the cup proudly. “Here. Thought you should try the Hazelnut flavor yourself,” Steve said, handing him the fresh cup of coffee with a smile.

The brunet blinked at him, as if he were trying to understand the words coming out of Steve’s mouth. When his brain finally caught up to him, he took the cup from Steve and stared down at the brown liquid inside it before his tired expression melted into a dozy smile. He looked up at Steve and with all the charm he could muster in his state, he flashed him a smile and a wink. “Thanks, Stevie. You’re a lifesaver.” Bucky then took a sip of the coffee and gave an appreciative hum at the warm, nutty flavor he tasted with delight. “S’good; real good. Thank you; now go bake yer cupcakes. I’ll see ya later today.”

Steve could barely hide the grin that crossed his face. “You betcha! I’ll have a decent cake picked out for you when you show up, so you better be on time.”

“Good, I will be. Better be a good cupcake, Stevie, or else I ain’t comin’ over to talk to your dollface no more.”

“Challenge accepted, Buck. I’ll see you at 1, okay?” Steve shot back, flashing his million-watt smile at the mechanic. He nodded like a bobble-head back at Bucky when the mechanic winked at him in return and he spun on his heel, feeling like he was walking on a cloud as he crossed the street back to his little shop. Bucky had called him Stevie again. He’d called him dollface, _and_ he’d promised he would be back for more cupcakes, no matter what. Yeah… Bucky was definitely flirting with him.

Steve slipped back into his shop, and hovered by the front door for the longest moment. He turned to look back at the garage, and saw Bucky staring at him from across the street. Steve waved to him from the door and Bucky waved back, holding his coffee cup up with a triumphant smile on his face. 

No, Steve hadn’t been this happy in a long time; not with anyone else and not even when he’d first started dating Sharon. Bucky was an entirely different story, and Steve couldn’t wait to see what came of their blossoming friendship. Steve understood, now, what it felt like to be really happy, and he knew he couldn’t let that go for anything. That had to account for something in his life… it just had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 coming soon, and it's gonna be a lot of coming to terms with each others feelings. Lots of fluff to come! Stick around!!!


	3. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky comes to terms with the fact that he's falling in love with Steve. Steve realizes he loves Bucky far more than he originally thought, even after only knowing him for such a short amount of time. Still, he faces the issue of having to break up with Sharon as painlessly as possible. If his luck record was anything to go by, that may prove to be difficult...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to the next chapter of Sprinkles!!!
> 
> I don't have many notes for you guys, just wanted to say Hi and welcome back to the story! Now, for some fluff to come. These two saps are so in love already and they are only just realizing that.
> 
> Smut to come in chapters soon!!!

The bar around them echoed loud and boisterous, filled with people surrounding tables and standing about the establishment in groups as they drank and talked in a blurred cacophony of noise; across the walls and above the bar stock, the large flat screen televisions propped up around the darkened room were blaring loudly with the latest baseball game; it was the bottom of the 6th inning, and the Mets were dominating the game with an impressive 7 to 1 scoring against the Phillies and many of the patrons were screaming at the televisions as they vied for their respective teams in drunken abandon. The liquor flowed aplenty from the bar taps; beer, whiskey and vodka was shared amongst everyone as the game progressed with a clear Mets victory in sight, much to the distaste of several patrons around. All in all, it was a pleasant night out, full of loud, rambunctious bar goers enjoying themselves screaming at televisions screens and drinking themselves in a drunken stupor.

Pleasant night… _right_...

Despite the rowdy crowds about them, three men sat together in the back of the bar, drinking their beers in relative silence as they watched the revelers with faint amusement at the wild antics displayed before them. They had initially sought out a quiet reprieve from their long day sweating to death over hot engine blocks for 10 hours; they couldn’t deny, however, that they found it absolutely fucking hilarious to watch these schmucks throwing themselves at the screen like panting dogs, with all inhibitions thrown to the wind as the liquor in their systems loosened their tongues.

“Lookit ‘em all. Buncha creeps now, ain’t they?” Brock asked, raising a brow in annoyance as he stared at the younger crowd surrounding them in their revelry. He took a swig of the slightly warm ale in his hand, and set the bottle down on the table with an audible click of glass against wood. “I really must be gettin’ old, this shit’s got my head spinnin’ again. Can’t they turn the volume down justa few fuckin’ clicks? Christ.”

“Well, Old man, just so you know, mos’ bars n’this day and age are pretty fuckin’ loud and obnoxious,” Clint replied, leaning back in his seat to smile at his friend across the table. “I know, I know. It ain’t like the olden days, but you’ll just hafta get used to it, Grandpa.”

“Clint, you shut yer mouth before I knock yer teeth down that throat of yours,” Brock replied, shooting him a glare over the table; he jabbed his finger in his direction, leveling him with his best bitchface he could muster. “Don’t make me take this drinkin’ party home. You won’t like the beer I got in my fridge. That’ll put some real hair on yer chests, kids.”

To his left, Bucky snorted into his own bottle. “Oh God, please don’t let ‘im. The IPA’s he got could skunk a horse out.”

“Whoa, duly fuckin’ noted!” Clint exclaimed, holding his hands up to Brock. “A’right, I give! Uncle! Don’t take me away from my beer, man!”

Bucky laughed, thumping his fist on the tabletop in front of him; he glanced up at the crowds around, tuning out the banter between his coworkers as he allowed his mind to wander for a moment from the present conversation. Absentmindedly, he brushed his palm over his bare arm, feeling the slightly scaly flesh right on the round of his shoulder; he relished the relief of not having to baby the damn thing any longer, and he carefully ran his fingernails over the scabs to knock some of the loose pieces away from his skin. He’d definitely been overprotective of the new design over the past week, but after Brock had punched his shoulder through the bandage he’d been wearing underneath his coveralls, the fresh tattoo had gotten infected from the sweat collecting beneath his uniform. Despite a fairly decent immune system, Bucky had fallen somewhat ill, feeling sluggish with a fever and sporting a bad migraine he couldn’t shake; he’d had to take the rest of the week off from work to properly recover, a feat that had taken Brock bodily tossing Bucky out of the garage against his protests, and telling him to get better before he broke his ‘fool’ head in. At least he’d gotten a chance to catch up on some television shows he’d been missing out on.

Bucky glanced down at his shoulder and smiled at the fresh red star that now resided there; he fought the urge to pick off the newer scabs that had formed on the edges, and dropped his hand back to the table to fiddle with his beer bottle instead. He felt insanely proud of the touch up job, despite the fact that it had been there for years. When people asked him what it meant, he simply shrugged and replied that he’d felt the robotic art had been too plain, and he’d wanted to spice it up with a bit of color. The real truth of the star wasn't too far off from his explanation; Bucky just really liked stars.

Then again, his recovery stretch had caused him to miss out on an entire week of getting to go back and see the baker that had piqued his interest so thoroughly in less than an hour, and Bucky had been sorely disappointed in that loss. Needless to say, Bucky hadn’t stopped thinking about Steve once since his last visit to the bakery, and he hoped to remedy his loss as soon as he possibly could. So when his tattoo had finally gotten a chance to heal over and he felt well enough to go back to work, Bucky had taken the earliest break he could manage, and skipped right over to say hi to the gorgeous blond across the street. Needless to say, Bucky felt ten times better than he had for five days straight, and even though the high sugar content of the cupcake had made his still recovering immune system protest angrily, it had been completely worth the trip. Berry-infused cakes or not, Steve had been worth every second of his stomach’s misery after reconnecting with the baker once again.

As he sat musing at the tabletop in front of him, Bucky felt a hand clap on his shoulder, startling him from his thoughts with an undignified yelp.

“Yoooo, earth to James!” Clint barked right into his ear, grinning stupidly as he shook him practically right out of his seat.

Bucky snapped back to the present conversation, shooting his friends an exasperated scowl at having been startled so easily. “Wha?” he blurted intelligibly, looking thoroughly confused by their odd stares and sniggering laughter. “What? What’re you two fucks laughin’ at?”

Brock snorted, leaning back in his seat to regard his friend with a careful eye. “Oooh, nothin’. Just lookin’ in the face of true love I wager,” he replied, winking over Bucky’s shoulder towards Clint.

Clint laughed and shoved Bucky’s shoulder again, jarring the brunet in his chair. “I asked you how yer shoulder’s doin’, but I guess you’re too busy dreamin’ about that little number you been seein’ to listen to me. My feelings, Buck. They’re hurt right now.” To make a point, Clint offered up the biggest pout he could offer, wobbling his lower lip with a mock sob in his throat. “Why dontcha love me, Bucky?!”

“Aw fuck off, Barton,” Bucky scowled at them both and turned his attention back to his drink, fully intent on ignoring their teasing for the time being. When it seemed that neither of them would be letting go of the issue anytime soon, Bucky sighed and shoved Clint’s hand off of his shoulder. “Quit shakin’ me, yer gonna spill my damn beer!” he growled, glaring up at him. “And I ain’t thinkin’ about Steve, the fuck gave you that idea anyhow?”

Clint laughed at him and leaned his elbows against the table with a victorious gleam in his eyes. “‘Cause I actually was talkin’ about Darcy, but I guess I got my answer right there, didn’t I? Who’da thought? Bucky Barnes is in looooovveee!!!!” he added, flashing him a doe-eyed smile and a delicate, dreamy little sigh.

Bucky flushed dark red and buried his face in the tabletop with a groan; he didn’t care if he’d get a bruise on his forehead from that; that was just embarrassing. Why the fuck did he hang out with these guys?

To his left, Brock howled in laughter and slapped him on the back, shaking Bucky’s forehead against the table as he fought to catch his breath. “Aw Christ, I knew it! No one gets that damn look on their face if they ain’t got their eye on the prize, man. That’s what ya were grinnin’ about last week? The baker? Ya poor, romantic sap!”

Bucky sighed and sat up; he pushed his hair from his forehead, giving them both suspicious looks before the humor of the situation grew too infectious for even Bucky to resist. He finally cracked a grin after a moment’s irritation, and he leaned back in his seat with a tired laugh of his own; he stared up at the ceiling above him and blew out a puff of breath that floated a strand of hair from his eyes, before rolling his gaze over his two friends in turn. “I’m that fuckin’ see-through ain’t I?”

“Like a fuckin’ window. When ya gonna learn y’can’t hide shit from us no more,” Brock replied. However, instead of teasing him further, Brock leaned forward and jabbed his finger into Bucky’s chest with force. “Lookit me,” he added, jabbing his chest a second time.

“Ow. _What._ What, I’m lookin’ at ya!” Bucky protested. He rubbed his chest where Brock had dug his finger in, practically to the knuckle, and whined at the dull ache left behind. “Why you gotta keep hurtin’ me? First you bruised my tattoo, now yer tryin’ to impale me.”

“Quit whinin’, ya big baby,” Brock sighed, rolling his eyes to the sky with irritation. “Listen t’me. Clint and I ain’t got a problem where you stick yer dick, man, but don’t be goin’ and hidin’ it from us. _Or_ Nat. Ya hear me? Now I ain’t got an idea what a ‘cute’ guy looks like. I don’t swing fer that team. But he seems like a good guy; I been watchin’ the bakery ever since we opened up across the street, and he seems nice enough. But you go on a date with him and you go missin’, like yer one of his Dahmer victims or somethin’, and you bet yer ass we’re gonna come bustin’ the door down lookin’ for ya. You got me?” Brock gave him a level eye, his gaze narrow as he stared at him. “I _mean_ it. You ask him out on a date, we meet ‘im to make sure he ain’t psycho. Fair’s fair.”

Bucky stared at Brock for a moment, his eyes wide before he snorted. “Yer kiddin’ me, right? _Steve?_ That guy couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone be hidin’ a crazed cupcake serial killer alter-ego, a’right? Besides,” he trailed off, looking a little disappointed at his next thought. “I’m pretty sure he’s straight anyhow. He don’t seem like the type that’d go for me at all, let alone be gay.”

“So?” Clint asked, raising a brow at him. “You worked with us at the last garage for a while now and ain’t nobody else figured out you like dudes. Yer old man kicked you out in high school fer comin’ out of the closet, and Nat and I took you in for a place to stay until you got back on yer feet so we all know ya; but you don’t strike anyone as gay, ya know. Why d’ya think so many chicks hit on you when we go out? Yer like a fuckin’ boob-magnet, try as try you might t’flag down a hot stud once in a while. Yeah?”

“And what’s that shit about him not likin’ guys ‘like you’?” Brock interjected, taking his glass and swallowing down the dregs of his beer before motioning to the barkeep for another draft. “Whatdya mean, ‘guys like you’? Yer a damn marshmallow. I don’t think I ever met someone with as big a heart as you, so shut yer trap about not bein’ ‘good enough’ for someone. If he don’t like you ‘cause of the way you look, then fuck ‘im. You got style and you got yer own personality, and I dare anyone to even tell ya you need to change to be like the rest of the sheeple out there. If I catch wind of you changin’ the way you look and the way you like yerself for someone else’s attention, I’ll personally kick yer ass myself.”

With that, Brock looked up as the barkeep brought him his beer, and he took it with a smile. “Thanks, doll,” he murmured to the girl, slipping her a ten dollar bill before turning his attention back to the others. “A’right, touchin’ heartfelt speech over with. Don’ make me do it again.”

Bucky watched Brock as he listened to him speak, his smile growing on his face. “Aww Brock, I didn’t know ya loved me so much!” he cooed; he threw his arms around the older man’s shoulders and planted obnoxious kisses on the side of his head as he pinned him to the chair. “Mwah, mwah, MWAH!”

“Aw, cut it out!” Brock growled, wrapping his arm around Bucky’s neck and dragging him into a headlock. Bucky squirmed in his grip and protested loudly at the attack, punching him in the chest to try and shake the older man off of him. Still, despite his best efforts, Brock didn’t let up one bit as he grinned down at him, cocky and self-sure. “Give up, squirt, I got 13 years on ya. You ain’t gettin’ outta this so easy.”

“I thought you were 20 years older than us.” Clint interjected, laughing as he recorded the two of them horsing around at the table on his cell phone.

“13, and don’t make me knock yer ass out, punk!” Brock shot back, flipping his middle finger at the camera before letting go of Bucky finally. “I ain’t that fuckin’ old.”

“You’re 39, that’s pretty ancient,” Bucky wheezed as he rubbed his throat. He was still grinning like a loon as he ducked Brock’s fist with a laugh, bounding out of his seat to avoid his onslaught.

“Why, you little-!”

“Guys, yer gonna get us kicked out!” Clint warned, leaning away from the friendly brawl that was about to unfold in front of him. He looked up at the irritated barkeeps with a sheepish smile and waved them back, signaling he had his idiot friends under control. Possibly.

Brock rolled his eyes again and settled back into his seat. He shot Bucky a grin and took another swallow of his beer as the two of them finally settled down again. “Anyway. Yeah, if yer plannin’ on datin’ this guy, Clint and I get first meetin’ with ‘im, then you run ‘im past Natasha, or no deal. We ain’t dealin’ with another Pierce incident again, you got me? We’ll end that shit like Romeo and Julius before it even starts, if we don’t meet ‘im and we find out he’s a creep. Deal?”

“Technically, they offed themselves, but I get what yer sayin’. I know literature ain’t yer strong suit.” Bucky teased before finishing his own beer off and plucking out his wallet for a round of shots. He very pointedly chose to ignore Brock’s statement about he-should-not-be-named Ex of his, and plucked out two twenties from the confines of his billfold. Instead of thinking of Pierce and the bullshit he’d been dragged through for months at a time, getting really drunk right now seemed like an excellent counter plan if he did say so himself. “Fine. Deal. You two meet ‘im if I get the balls t’ask him out, a’right? Now, let’s get back t’business. I ain’t drunk enough to deal with you two yet. Shots on me!”

Clint groaned at the declaration, waving his hand at Bucky in protest. “Don’t you be goin’ and buyin’ that SoCo shit again, Buck,” Clint begged as he watched the brunet wave the bartender over for their shots. “That shit makes my ears ring in the mornin’. Ya know how hard it is to deal with that when ya got shitty hearing aids to begin with? Anythin’ but SoCo, man!”

Bucky grinned at him, and waved his hand in understanding. “Now why would I do that to you, Clint? You know I love you,” he replied, sickly sweet as he possibly could be.

He ordered Southern Comfort anyway. Clint punched him. It was a good night.

* * *

 

It had been approximately 10 days since Bucky had come back to Steve’s bakery, and just as they had both promised each other, the two of them spoke every single day since his return. Like clockwork, Steve would pick out a new cupcake for Bucky to try in the morning and set it to the side so that no one else could buy it accidentally, and every day at 1pm precisely Bucky would come in to chat and eat his cupcake and the two would spend a glorious half an hour together. This went on for ten days straight, and it became a routine that became ingrained for the two men; now they couldn’t possibly imagine not sharing these brief moments in time, talking and getting to know each other as the days passed.  

During these heartfelt discussions, Steve had learned that Bucky’s favorite authors were Tolkien and Adams, that he liked burgers over steak, he graduated high school Cum Laude in his class, and he’d gotten his first piercing as his personal graduation gift. Steve had also been touched to hear the story of the time Bucky had gone to see Marley and Me when it first premiered, and how horribly the film’s final plot had hit home for him; when the titular character had been taken to the vet to be euthanized, Bucky had walked out of the theater sobbing uncontrollably because he couldn’t stand the idea of a beloved family pet dying. Bucky hadn’t even seen the end of the film, and had refused to acknowledge that movie’s existence for months after the incident had occurred. Honestly, Steve found himself even more drawn to this sensitive hearted man after hearing that story (impossible as it may have seemed); he too had cried in the theater when he saw it with his friends, but hadn't been brave enough to admit that out loud to anyone.

Just as Bucky told many of his life stories to Steve, Steve had willingly done the same in return; he openly shared with Bucky that he’d wanted to join the military right out of high school, but a recurrent asthma condition had kept him from enlisting in the ARMY (Bucky seemed inordinately relieved about that fact, though Steve couldn’t understand for the life of him why). He also explained that he wished that he had a pet in his life but had never had opportunity to own one before. Last but not least, Steve admitted that he used to own a motorcycle, a fact that definitely caught Bucky’s interest. Steve had loved that motorcycle, but he explained to Bucky that financial necessity had “required” he sell it to put the loan payment down on his shop. Bucky also seemed rather moved by Steve’s loss, and openly protested how much “bullshit” it had been that he’d been forced to give up his beloved bike like that.

Against his better judgement, Steve also openly shared with Bucky that he had a huge aversion to vomit and throwing up; he vaguely told the story of the one time he’d closed his shop down for an entire day and hired a fumigator to come and clean his store out when one little kid had accidentally eaten too many cupcakes and threw up in the corner of the room, fighting the urge to shudder at the memory. Steve had never shared that little secret with anyone, fearing that people would make fun of a grown man of over 6 feet freaking out over a tiny pile of puke (The kid hadn’t even gotten that terribly sick, but Steve had been absolutely beside himself over the incident). Even as he told Bucky that story, he feared that the mechanic would think him weak or pathetic for being phobic of something so silly, and hoped like hell he hadn’t embarrassed himself beyond salvation.

Much to his surprise, Bucky simply asked him why he’d been so freaked out over it, looking genuinely concerned for him. Feeling less ashamed of himself, Steve admitted that he had been sickly as a kid and had been constantly throwing up and sick to his stomach; he explained that the act of vomiting or seeing someone get sick just brought back terrible memories of his childhood, and his phobia harbored the fear that he could risk falling as sick as he used to be once again. Even if he knew it wasn’t logical, Steve hated the idea that he could grow as weak and deathly ill as he had been, and didn’t wish to relive that horror even for one second.

To his relief, Bucky didn’t make fun of him for his phobia. Instead, he seemed incredibly understanding and didn’t tease him once about it; Steve couldn’t say the same for many previous friends that did know. Instead, Bucky explained that he understood irrational fears and thought Steve was actually really brave to admit that to someone without knowing what they might think of him. Needless to say, Steve felt himself falling just a little bit more in love with this incredible man in front of him, and wondered why he’d felt so ashamed to admit his secret to him in the first place.

Hell, _Sharon_ didn’t even know about his phobia. He _should_ have been comfortable enough to open up to his fiancée, but Steve knew that Sharon might not take kindly to such a silly fear; logically, he knew she would have probably incensed him terribly for it for weeks, instead of listening to the explanation for what it was. Understandably, Steve had been agonizing for a long time over how to tell her part of why he didn’t want kids was because of the chances of them catching the flu; it wasn’t like Sharon would have been the one to clean up after them, that was for sure. He would have been stuck taking care of ill children for her; like hell, did he think he could handle _that._

And then there was the issue of Sharon herself; Steve may have openly shared many things about his life with Bucky, but he still hadn’t come up with a good way or reason to decide to tell him ‘oh by the way, I’m engaged and I’m getting married in 10 months. What do you think about that?’ Because that was the thing: while Steve believed that Bucky _was_ flirting with him and seemed genuinely interested in him, he didn’t want to risk pushing the guy away by dropping an unnecessary truth bomb on him if he didn’t have to.

Still, Steve knew he had to tell Bucky one way or the other, and he had to do it soon; if Bucky was straight and he was just making a really good friend out of him, then Steve wanted to invite him to the wedding to share in the festivities, just like any other good companion.

But if Bucky _wasn’t_ straight, and he was actually interested in dating Steve…

Christ, that just made him a terrible person, and he’d never convince himself otherwise. How could he possibly believe that he was in the right, pining over another guy and leading him on while he was still engaged to Sharon?

Clearly, the issue of his problem plagued him regularly. Almost every night after their half an hour ritual, Steve would beat himself up over his feelings and attempt to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with himself. He tried so very hard to convince himself that what he was feeling for Bucky was nothing more than a silly crush; he tried to convince himself that he would get over his feelings eventually, and that he would eventually go back to admiring Sharon for who she was. And he tried _damn_ fucking hard to actually get excited about his upcoming nuptials, instead of dreading them like an impending doomsday he had fast tracked himself on without thinking.

But every time he tried, Steve would find himself dreaming about the mechanic day in and day out, wishing he had the balls to face his feelings and do something about them. Because as much as he tried to convince himself that he loved Sharon and he was going to be happily married to her for the rest of his life, Steve knew that that was a load of shit and he couldn’t even fool himself into believing that. Steve knew that his relationship with Sharon had been on the downslide for a long time now, and the proposal he’d dropped out of nowhere had been nothing more than a Band-Aid to hopefully fix their failing relationship.

Clearly it hadn’t worked.

Steve should have realized that things had gone south between them, the minute Sharon had gotten on his case about his passions and tried her hardest to convince him her way was best. Sharon had constantly teased him for his silly “obsessions” with fantasy literature and music, and had on more than one occasion mentioned that being an artist wouldn’t do him any good if he didn’t focus on his business more thoroughly. Worst of all, it was Sharon that had been the one to convince him to sell his motorcycle for the shop’s sake. Despite the fact that he’d had other options on getting that loan-payment taken care of, Sharon had insisted that Steve’s possession of a motorcycle was pointless for a businessman; she had regularly argued that the money he’d make on a good sale would take care of his shop for a least three months, and wouldn’t stop bringing it up to him every chance she got. To placate her irritation, Steve had sold the bike to the first bidder that came across his radar and watched with a heavy heart as his beloved bike was taken by some punk kid with daddy’s money to blow. Steve had been heartbroken to hear the guy had crashed his bike less than a week after he’d bought it off of Steve, and the poor Harley had been totaled and junked by week’s end.

All the signs were there; what had once been a fiery romance between them, now just felt like a chore to maintain. They didn’t have any of the same interests, and no matter how hard Steve had tried to acclimate to Sharon’s pleasures, he just couldn’t do it. Steve’s friends had tried to convince him to break it off with Sharon long ago, but he hadn’t listened. Now where was he? He was stuck with no easy way out of this engagement without a shitload of screaming and heartbreak to follow. And that had been his own damn fault.

Steve knew he was falling for Bucky. It was blatantly clear even to himself no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise; how he _wished_ he could pursue this possible relationship further, and see himself establishing the possible partnership that Bucky could provide for his desires. But Steve was an honest man, and he had absolutely no desires to hurt anyone’s feelings in the slightest, even Sharon’s. He’d have to come up with some reason to let her down easy, and go about asking Bucky out for a drink the _right_ way. There was no way in hell he was going to string two people along; he wouldn’t ever forgive himself for doing something so terrible to Bucky...

It was sweltering out on Day Eleven of their daily routine, and business had been fairly steady despite the awful heat wave they had been hit with. Currently, Tony was standing at the register, counting the funds and documenting their profits while whistling a merry tune into the quiet air around them. Over the past week, Tony had been pleased to see their profits growing once again, and spent a good few moments in the shop every day to survey how they were pulling back from the slump they had gotten into the previous month. By his light wit and humor, they were making pretty good headway at climbing back out of the hole they had fallen into.

Steve, for his part, stood by the back counter sketching in his notebook as he sipped the hazelnut coffee Bucky had bought him with delight; he shifted in his spot to get his shirt to stretch out more comfortably across his torso, and hoped like hell he hadn’t bought one _too many_ sizes too small, just to impress him. He’d been wearing more and thinner t-shirts every day, after having noticed how intently Bucky had stared at his chest through the wispy fabric; he’d even gone out to buy new jeans that fit better than the thick, baggy slacks he wore every day. This day in particular, Steve was wearing a pale gray t-shirt and a pair of black jeans he’d bought at the recommendation of the store clerk that had assured him they made his ass look absolutely amazing. He’d even gone out and bought new shoes. Every few moments, Steve would look down from his sketchbook and admire the dark blue canvas sneakers on his feet with delight. He always liked sneakers; maybe Bucky would like them too…

Every few minutes, he looked up at the clock on the wall, watching the moments tick by as he waited for Bucky to come. When 1 o’clock rolled around, Steve beamed as he looked down at his sketchbook, hoping he didn’t look too eager as he resumed his drawing; he peeked up over the rims of his glasses every moment he could to check and see when Bucky would come and make himself known, feeling that same giddy anticipation he felt when he knew Bucky’s break was coming every day.

But the minutes continued to click by, and Bucky didn’t show up. Steve frowned, looking up at the clock again as he saw the minute hand tick on past the 2, then inch up on the 3. When nearly 35 minutes came and went, and still there was no sign of Bucky, Steve slumped a little in disappointment. Bucky wasn’t coming that day. He looked down at the cupcake he’d picked out especially for Bucky, and heaved a sigh as he picked it up and put it into a plastic container to be stored in the fridge. He slipped into the back of the store and tucked it safely in the back of the fridge with a frown on his features and walked back up to the front of the store. He huffed another disappointed sigh as he jumped up to sit on the counter and resume his drawing, trying to shake the disappointed hole that wanted to eat through his chest and make him miserable the rest of the day. How deep he was, that one missed day of seeing Bucky could ruin his mood so thoroughly...

“Oh my God, stop sighing, Steve,” Tony interjected, shaking Steve from his thoughts. He looked up at his friend, seeing the amused grin on Tony’s face as he watched him from the register. “Are you _really_ gonna pout because you didn’t get to see your boyfriend today? That’s just sad.”

Steve flushed red, looking down at his sketchbook. He tried to ignore the fact that he’d given up sketching cakes and had gone back to drawing Bucky; this time he was bent over a car fixing it and Steve had captured that imagery with incredible detail. He flipped the book shut with a frown and shot Tony an innocent eye. “Dunno what you’re talking about, Tony…” Steve tried, hoping that he could throw his friend off with a non-answer.

“Oh Christ’s sake, don’t even _try_ to pull that one over me!” Tony shot back, resting his hands on his hips. He stared at Steve long and hard, before he smirked. “You know I can see what you’re drawing when you sit like that, so don’t even give me that shit. You have the hots for him something fierce, and it’s starting to show. I wouldn’t be surprised if I start to see you drawing porn of the poor guy, you got it that bad. Which by the way, please don’t draw porn of him, I really don’t want to see that shit.”

Steve looked up at him, his face hot and his eyes wide as he stared at him. “Oh my God, Tony, shut _up!”_ Steve shot back, turning away from him as he hid his sketchbook behind his back. “It’s... it’s not like that, alright! We’re just really good friends, and I happen to know what kind of cakes he likes. That doesn’t mean I’ve got a crush on him!”

“Bull… wait for it… shit,” Tony said, yawning in an overt show of boredom as he listened to him speak. “Steve, I knew since high school that you liked guys, even before you did. I’ll admit, he’s cute. I got a good look at him a few times, and it’s unbelievably, painfully obvious he’s your type.” Tony trailed off, packing his notebook back into his bag as he spoke. “You’ve got a crush on him with a capital C, and it’s kind of adorable how quickly you went ga-ga over the mechanic. But you better listen to me when I say you gotta be careful around him, man.”

Steve frowned, looking back at him with wide, hurt eyes. Oh God, was Tony going to try and talk to him about the dangers of dating down in his class? Because if he was, Steve was not going to hesitate in punching his friend in the head. Bucky wasn’t dating _down_ at all! Bucky was amazing, and perfect! How could anyone like Bucky be anything to fear?  “Whoa, what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, defensively. “Why do I have to be careful around him? Bucky’s amazing! He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met!”

“And that’s why I’m telling you, you have to be careful, dumbass,” Tony sighed, throwing his hands out. “I’m not saying you have to be careful of _him._ I’m saying you gotta be careful of _yourself_ right now.”

When Steve gave him a confused look, Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose with a frustrated growl. “Or did you forget you asked me to be the best man at your _fucking wedding,_ Steve. You’re marrying Sharon in the spring, and here you are pining over another guy. Pretty openly I might add _.”_

Tony enunciated his words carefully, staring right into Steve’s eyes as he did so. “I’m telling you to be careful you don’t go and do something you’re gonna come to hate yourself over because you can’t decide who you want to be with. If you want to be with Bucky so much, then you need to break up with Sharon like we’ve been telling you to do for over a year now. You need to actually _end it_ instead of chickening out this time, and then get with this guy before you lose him. God forbid, he finds out that you’re with someone else and lets you down real fuckin’ bad, either. Do you really think you could handle that kind of guilt, when you don’t even love Sharon anymore? I mean do you even have sex with her? I’m pretty fucking sure you haven’t gotten any in a real long time; no one who’s got a healthy sex life looks as miserable as you do.”

Despite Tony’s logical argument, the moment he’d brought up Steve’s sex life, he bristled a little and he looked up at him, scowling in agitation. Steve may have been embarrassed of many things in his life, but knowing that he didn’t find Sharon sexually appealing at all, and still had slept with her in the past really didn’t sit well with him. He jumped down from the counter, ready to storm into the back of the shop and end this argument before it progressed any further. “My sex life is none of your business, Tony. Christ, why the hell are you even asking me?”

Tony slumped, looking more than bothered by Steve’s reaction. “And that’s how I know you’re not in love with Sharon. If you're not having sex with her anymore, then you’re just in the relationship for the wedding party and not the commitment. I’m just concerned that someone’s gonna get hurt. You need to end it before you fuck up real bad, okay?” Tony uncrossed his arms and reached for his bag; he threw the strap over his shoulder before he looked up at Steve’s back where he’d stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. “I’m not lecturing you to get inside your head or anything; I’m just concerned for you and your happiness. If you're not happy with Sharon anymore, then it needs to end. Period.”

Steve listened to him, his heart falling into the pit of his stomach; dammit, Tony was right. He couldn’t do that to anyone, least of all Bucky. He didn’t want to think about the fact that his first concern had gone right to Bucky and not to his fiancée, but that was beside the point. He was going to hurt _both_ of them if this crush of his came to a head. He’d already been seriously considering ending his relationship, but with Tony’s input it made so much more sense finally. Steve groaned and scrubbed his hand through his hair to try and gather his thoughts; he felt the fight leaving him as he turned to face his friend, conceding to his wisdom finally. Oddly enough, he felt a hell of a lot better, knowing he at least had someone in his corner for this whole thing. “I guess you’re right…”

Tony smirked and clapped his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I have good input sometimes, yeah. Unlike that one time we went out to the bar an-”

“And, stop talking right there,” Steve said, giving him a warning look. “I don’t want to think about that day at all. That was not your brightest idea, no, and I’d never want to relive it again if I possibly can.”

Tony shuddered at the memory and he waved his hand. “No more tequila. Ever again,” he agreed. Thankfully, he did let the topic go for now, and turned to exit the shop, tossing a smile over his shoulder at Steve. “Alright, I think the shop’s in good condition right now. I’ll see you later, okay? And seriously, consider my advice. I think you need to do some soul searching if you’re still unsure of what to do.”

Their brief reprieve was broken shortly after. Just as he reached the exit, the bell jingled to life and the door swung open to reveal a disheveled looking Bucky standing on the other side. Tony made a noise in his throat and stepped aside to let Bucky in, shooting Steve a look over his shoulder that only said ‘your loverboy awaits’.

Despite Tony giving him clear passage to the shop, though, Bucky didn’t enter the door at all; instead, he continued to stand awkwardly outside the bakery with a small smile on his lips, shifting his weight from heel to heel. “Hey in or out, slick, the air conditioner is on,” Tony shot to the mechanic, grinning at him as he rested his hand on the doorframe.

Steve felt a stab of mortification at Tony’s blatant rudeness, and he smiled sheepishly at Bucky as he walked around the side of the counter to greet him; despite feeling horrified of his friend’s statement, he couldn’t help the giddy smile that crossed his lips at the sight of Bucky. This had to be a dream, right? He was dreaming this moment up. No way in hell this was his real life, looking at Bucky the way he appeared right now.

Steve had only ever seen Bucky in his work uniform; Steve liked Bucky’s uniform, with the black coveralls and the oil on his face from a long day’s work. But Steve would be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate the casual look Bucky was currently sporting. Because, holy _fuck_ did he like it.

Instead of his uniform, Bucky was wearing a pair of dark jeans that hugged his legs in all the right spots, and a pair of brown construction boots that looked practically new out of the box. He wore a white tank top that appeared to be two sizes too small on him, and stretched across his torso to reveal his tattoos with utter abandon. With his arm fully exposed, Steve could see that Bucky’s arm did indeed look almost entirely robotic, with metal plating and wires etched into his olive toned skin that looked as smooth as silk. The mechanical art on his arm was topped off with a red star at the top of his shoulder, and the metal plating actually extended past his arm onto his chest, covering most of his left pectoral muscle and probably farther underneath the white shirt. It looked as if the metal arm was attached right into his side and chest like a cyborg out of a science fiction novel.

To top the whole look off, Bucky’s long hair was pulled back into another bun; it hung loose at the nape of his neck to allow many strands to frame his face, and he was wearing a pair of shiny aviator sunglasses that framed his high cheekbones like a perfect portrait and reflected the afternoon’s sunny rays off of their mirror-smooth finish, like glass.

Holy fuck, he looked _gorgeous_. How was this guy not a supermodel?

“Hey!” Steve interjected, hoping that Tony would get the hint and beat it before he started talking to Bucky; it would be just like Tony to open his big yap and embarrass the hell out of him in front of his crush. “Sorry, my friend is an ass,” he added, and snorted when he heard Tony protest that description. He waved him off with a smile and gestured to the interior of the shop behind him. “I thought you weren’t gonna show up today. You can come in if you want, I swear Tony doesn’t bite.”

Bucky chuckled and looked over at the man in question, raising a brow at him. “I get it, my friends’re the exact same damn way. And ya know, I’d come in… but I didn’ know if I could, ya know…” he looked down to his left; whatever he was looking at was obscured by a large sign in the window; Bucky smirked and flashed Steve a cheesy smile. “I weren’t sure I could bring ‘er in at all.”

Steve blinked at the odd statement, wondering what the hell he was talking about; however, his confusion cleared away to sheer delight the moment Bucky moved to the side and gently tugged on a leash. From the obstructing sign, out tumbled a fluffy, roly-poly little black and grey husky puppy attached to the end of that bright red leash; she began to yap and bark loudly into the shop the minute she laid eyes on Steve and pawed at the ground in front of her; but instead of bolting like most puppies would have, this little beauty hovered obediently by Bucky’s heel despite wanting to run right to Steve to make a new friend. She whined for attention, giving her master the biggest, bluest pout she could manage with her bright eyes, begging silently to be set loose on the unsuspecting man before her.

_‘Of course Bucky would have a puppy; what else about him could possibly be more perfect…?’_

“Oh my God! She’s adorable!” Steve exclaimed delightedly; the little girl looked like she wasn’t much older than 3 months old, and she was just the cutest thing Steve had seen in a long time. He walked over and dropped down to one knee in front of the little dog, his hands ghosting over the top of her velvety head. Steve felt a happy bubble build up in his chest the minute the puppy lunged for him, licking his hand all over as she squirmed under his pets for some much needed attention.

Bucky laughed as he watched Steve interacting with his puppy, hands resting in his pockets as he smiled at him. “Sorry I didn’ come in at my usual time today, I had the day off and this little furball needed to go get ‘er shots. She’s got a sore butt right now, so I’m surprised she’s as happy as she is right now.”

Steve looked up at Bucky with huge eyes, still petting the puppy happily as he beamed up at him. “The poor thing! Yeah, c’mon bring her in. I think I’ve got some doggie treats left from when the mailman used to bring his dog on his runs with him. Poor thing looks like she could use something to snack on after enduring something so traumatic,” he added, baby-talking the little furball in his hands; the puppy went ballistic, whining and squealing in delight at his attention, and assaulted his chin with happy little licks.

“Oh God, Steve, you're disgusting.” Tony groaned, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe as he watched his friend playing with the hyperactive pooch. “Just don’t let her pee on the floor, that’s all I’m sayin’!”

Bucky grinned up at Tony and shook his head, allowing the baker to lead the puppy in for a few biscuits and belly rubs. “Nah, she’s house trained a’ready, she won’t pee on the floor. But ya won’t have to worry, I can’t stay long today anyway.”

Steve looked up from his attention on the dog, and he frowned heavily. “How come?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as pathetic as he thought he did. From the look Tony shot him, he didn’t do such a good job of hiding that.

Bucky just shrugged, looking a little apologetic as he dropped down to the floor next to Steve and the puppy. He leaned back on his heels, his shoulder brushing Steve’s for the briefest moment as he spoke. “Nothin’ big, just gotta buncha errands I need t’run today after I drop the little tyke off at home; since I don't got the time normally, I figured I’d just do it all at once. Besides, I owed a lunch date to my friend, and I cancelled on her a few times a’ready. I better go before she kicks my ass.”

Steve nodded as he listened to Bucky speaking. “Yeah, probably not wise. I’d not want to have my ass kicked either,” he said, looking up at him. The two of them were seated on the floor, with the puppy sprawled between them chewing on Steve’s fingers. He really didn’t want to think about how domestic this felt; he already felt sickeningly attached to the guy as it was. “What’s her name anyway? She’s so cute! I didn’t know you had a dog.”

“‘er name’s Zima,” Bucky explained, reaching down to scrub his fingers over her belly. Zima yipped and lunged up to her master, licking his face happily as he cuddled her close. “I got ‘er about a month ago. My apartment was startin’ to get too lonely, so I figured I’d get a dog. I found her at the rescue shelter, after her mommy gave birth and died afterwards. So I took her home with me. She’s my best girl, aint’cha Zima?” Bucky asked, nuzzling her furry chest as she planted her paws on his shoulders to lick his forehead.

Steve surveyed the two of them, his smile melting into adoration as he watched the mechanic cuddling his dog so happily. God, he wanted that in his life. He wanted a partner that loved dogs as much as Bucky did. Christ, as much as _he himself_ did. Now he understood why Bucky had absolutely hated the ending of Marley and Me; he was picturing exactly how heartbreaking it would be to lose such a beloved pet. Steve knew for sure that if something were to ever happen to Zima, Bucky would be completely inconsolable especially if their bond was already this strong after just a month of owning her. Steve wanted nothing more than to join in on that little cuddle fest, but refrained for the sake of dignity; how fucking weird and awkward would that be for everyone present? _‘You’re a total fucking sap, Steve...’_

As the two of the knelt on the floor, Steve looked up to see Tony watching them both, his smile all knowing. Steve shot him a withering look in return, and Tony just waved at him before slipping out the door to the hot streets outside. Thankfully left alone once again, Steve looked back down at Bucky and watched the brunet playing with his puppy so happily. “Does she need some water? I’ve got a bowl in the back she can use, though all I got is tap water.”

“Tap water’s good. She prolly needs it, yeah. It’s real hot out,” Bucky replied, pushing Zima down and getting to his feet. “Also, thought I’d come by and get my cupcake anyway. Didn’t want to miss out on whatever goodie ya got for me this time. Plus I wanted t’say hi to ya. I never miss out, ya know.” Bucky added, grinning at Steve’s back from over the counter.

Steve choked, half bent over as he grabbed a bowl from the back counter. He looked back to see Bucky watching him, and he flushed red before beaming at him. “Really? You stopped by all the way over here just to say hi to me?” he asked, feeling his chest fluttering happily at that thought. To think that Bucky had gone out of his way just to see him personally, warmed Steve right up on the inside and he felt himself blushing heavily at that notion. Holy shit, Bucky really _truly_ cared about him!

To hide his blush from the mechanic, Steve slipped into the back to fill the bowl at the sink, taking a few deep breaths to bring his blush down before he could go face Bucky again. _‘Breathe, idiot. He’s waiting for you, and you’re freaking out like a teenager!’_ he chided himself, plucking his glasses from his nose to scrub his palms over his face in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

“Yeah!” Bucky called to the back, where Steve could hear him. “Y’know I always like comin’ to talk to ya! Yer somethin’ else! I wouldn’t wanna miss out if I can help it!”

Well, there went Steve’s chance of being able to go out there without flushing. He felt his cheeks heating up once again and he smiled to himself, fighting the urge to giggle like a little girl. He heard his phone buzzing in his pocket, and he ignored it for the time being to grab the water bowl for the puppy and to get Bucky’s cupcake out of the fridge. Walking the two items up to the front, Steve put the cupcake down on the counter and then dropped to his knee to give the puppy a much needed drink. “Here you go, Zima. Drink up!” he said, rubbing her back as the puppy lunged for the bowl and began to lap up the water with enthusiasm.

Bucky’s eyes went directly to the cupcake on the counter the minute Steve put it down, and Steve felt a swell of pride as he watched the mechanic eyeing up the cake with a smile. “Damn, that looks good. I’ll have to eat it at lunch; I better not fill up before I get there, otherwise Nat’ll kill me.”

Steve chuckled as he leaned his elbows against the counter to watch him. “Nat your girlfriend?” He asked, prodding the subject a little to get a read on Bucky; fuck he hoped she wasn’t his girlfriend. Then again, if she was and Bucky confirmed that, that could clear up a lot of his thoughts on the subject and make his next step that much easier to cope with. Steve bit his lip as he waited for Bucky to answer, ignoring the anxious little flutter in his chest that prayed Bucky said no. It wouldn’t be his concern if he was dating this mystery woman named Nat. In fact, Steve wouldn’t be surprised if Nat _was_ Bucky’s girlfriend; someone as beautiful as Bucky, didn’t go single for long. It would just make sense. Steve tried not to imagine what Nat might look like, though from the way Bucky dressed and carried himself, she was probably all legs and industrial beauty, with a scarily similar style, and a proud gleam in her eyes, just like Bucky.

“Nat?!” Bucky exclaimed, looking down at Steve before he burst into laughter. “Oh God, no. She ain’t my girlfriend. We been friends since we were real small. Nothin’ more, man.” Bucky smirked as he thought of his friend. “In fact, be happy she ain’t here right now t’hear you say that. She might punch ya in the teeth for suggestin’ somethin’ like that!”

Steve felt a thrill of relief in his chest at Bucky’s negative response, though that relief was quickly trounced by his apprehension. Well, shit. That didn’t make his situation any easier. Now he _really_ didn’t know what to do with Bucky at all; Bucky seemed completely put off by the idea of dating a girl… then again, it could have been the fact that that was his best friend since childhood they were talking about, and the idea was just awkward to begin with.

Whatever the case may be, Steve still had the issue of having to choose between two people now. But with the odds ever stacking against Sharon’s favor, Steve was damn sure he knew who was going to win out on this race; that person was standing before him, looking like a sex-god and smiling down at him like Steve was the moon and stars. Steve would be a fool to choose anything otherwise...

“Crap.” Bucky suddenly said, looking down at his phone. “I gotta go. Nat’s waitin’ fer me.” With a smile, Bucky grabbed his wallet and tossed a ten dollar bill onto the counter again. “Keep the change. I’ll see ya tomorrow at 1 okay?! Bye Stevie!” Bucky said, plucking his sunglasses back from the crown of his head and setting them on the bridge of his nose. Zima perked up at her master’s actions and she immediately heeled up with him, yapping happily as Bucky carried his cupcake to the door and let both himself and his puppy outside. He turned in the doorway and smiled at Steve, pushing his sunglasses up to wink at him. “It was real good seein’ ya again, Stevie. Y’know I always like comin’ over to talk to ya, right?”

Steve looked up at him from the counter, feeling his cheeks filling in until the redness was crawling down his throat and flaring his ears to a dark pink. “Y-... really?” he asked, swallowing thickly around that familiar lump he felt in his throat every time Bucky spoke to him.

‘Damn straight,” Bucky replied, plopping his sunglasses down on his nose with a grin. “Yer somethin’ amazin’, and don’t even think otherwise, a’right? Dontcha ever change, dollface, or I might have somethin’ t’say about that. Have a good day!”

With that, Bucky disappeared from the shop, walking the yapping Zima with him as the two of them disappeared down the sidewalk together. They left behind a bewildered baker standing at his counter, blushing and too flustered to even think about sitting down before his knees gave out from underneath him. They very nearly did, and he had to catch himself on the counter. Thank God, he didn’t have security cameras… Tony would never let him live _that_ moment down…

Steve stared after him for a moment, groaning loudly as he let his forehead thump to the counter in front of him. “Shit… I gotta tell him! I gotta fucking tell him about Sharon!” he whined to himself as he thumped his forehead on the granite a couple times in frustration. In his pocket, his phone vibrated again, and he looked down to it in annoyance. He plucked his phone out by the corner, and queued up the page to see who had decided to text him at such an unseemly moment.  Of course… Tony. It _had_ to be Tony...

**TS [1:58pm]: Yo, did he leave yet?**

**TS [2:14pm]: Mr. Rogers, stop staring at his hot ass and answer my text!**

Steve glared at his phone for a moment, before punching in a response.

**SR [2:16pm]: Dammit, Tony what do you want?**

**TS [2:18]: Just wanted to make sure your nose didn’t leak out of your face while you were busy eye-fucking the mechanic. Did you know you have a tattoo kink? Cause you seriously do.**

Steve sighed as he stared down at his phone. Dammit, he _did_ have a tattoo kink. He had such a fucking bad tattoo kink and he hadn’t even realized it until he saw such a beautiful display in front of him. Obscenely, Steve thought of running his tongue along those etched, black lines and mapping them out in their finest glory like a painting. He couldn’t shake the thought of how hot it would be to be held down by those strong arms and stare at that beautiful inkwork while he got drilled from behind, until he was screaming himself hoarse. And when the fuck did he consider himself a bottom?!

Christ, he was so fucked.

**SR [2:26pm]: I’m ignoring you**

Steve stuffed his phone in his pocket, hoping the conversation had finally reached its end; no dice, it seemed, when Tony Stark was involved. A few minutes later, he felt it buzz to life two more times, ringing merrily in his jeans pocket like the world’s most annoying pest wasn’t on the other side. Growling in his throat, Steve ripped the phone back out and stared down at the screen with a frustrated eye.

**TS [2:33pm]: Break. Up. With. Sharon. And. Tap. The. Mechanic.**

**TS [2:34pm]: Do it, before he gives up and goes to find some other hot baker to flirt with. No one brings their dog out in this heat like this on a whim unless they are heavily flirting with someone. He’s got it bad for you too, Steve-o. Stop being an idiot, dump Bridezilla, and ask him out already!**

Steve read the text message carefully, his scowl fading away to a small smile. Okay, so Tony was fully supportive of Steve going for Bucky; that had to count for something. Perhaps this whole break-up wouldn’t be so bad after all… With the subject firmly behind him, Steve decided to occupy his mind with baking, whipping up a fresh batter, and lighting the ovens to get the shop burning bright again that afternoon.

He wondered, briefly, what Sam would say if he knew what Steve was going through, but he didn’t think much more on the subject. Instead, he focused on his tasks at hand, his mind’s eye picturing the dashing smile and the sharp blue of soft eyes as he worked out an experimental recipe for the next day. Needless to say he was already planning what to bake for Bucky; the recipes he had in mind now were fresh and definitely off the map of his usual menu and he only trusted his favorite customer to tell him whether or not they would be a good fit for his shop. He firmly believed that Bucky wouldn’t hesitate to give his honest opinion on how well he thought they might sell. Steve knew he could count on Bucky’s opinion above everyone else’s, that was for sure.

Steve still didn’t know what he was going to do about Sharon, but he knew he had to think of something fast. He could possibly put the break-up reins in her hands and let her orchestrate the whole dumping; it’d suck like hell to be dumped, but it’d honestly be the easiest situation to deal with. But if she didn’t act and break up with him first, Steve knew he had to end it before Bucky left. Because honestly, Tony was right. Steve knew that Bucky wasn’t going to wait around for someone he was interested in. He didn’t have a clue the magnitude of what Steve was dealing with, but that just made Steve’s timetable that much more frantic. If Bucky felt like Steve just wasn’t interested in him, he could get bored and abandon him entirely, leaving Steve behind pining for the guy he liked unbelievably more than he liked anyone else in his entire life.

Why the hell did relationships have to be so damn complicated…

* * *

 

**CB [2:50pm]: Ur a shameless bastard u kno that? :-P**

Bucky laughed to himself as he stared down at his phone. He walked slowly, letting Zima sniff around some foliage outside the cafe as he waited for Nat to show up, hoping the puppy would do her business before he sat down to eat. His cupcake sat in his hand holding the leash as he texted with the other, careful not to drop the delicate treat as he sent Clint back a response.

**BB [2:59pm]: U said so urself, to show Steve I was interested. Wat’s easier thn bringing ur puppy along to visit him?**

**CB [3:04pm]: That’s just a low blow tho. Now he HAS to fall in love with u and adopt a buncha shelter dogs with u. You condemned him to yourself for life u maniac.**

**BB [3:11pm]: Ouch. :-(  Show some confidence in me. He seemed to really like Zima.**

Bucky watched his phone, seeing the little “Writing” symbol next to Clint’s name. When his message came through, Bucky barked a laugh, leaning his free hand against his knee as he laughed outright at his friend’s reply.

**CB [3:15pm]: Watever. Just when you 2 get married, I get to be the flowergirl. Brock won’t look half as good in the dress as I will.**

“What the hell are you giggling about?” A voice cut in from behind Bucky. He turned to see Natasha standing behind him, her hands resting on her hips in amusement. True to Steve’s assessment, Natasha looked like a complete compliment to Bucky. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts, a red crop top with a black spider on the left breast and her left thigh was covered in a thick array of black, red and silver tattoos. She wore dark make-up, crimson lipstick and her red hair was pulled off of her neck to showcase a thick black choker around her pale throat. She stood watching him, snapping her gum at him in amusement of his laughter before she approached the brunet. “Well? Aren’t ya gonna come hug me, idiot? Or are you gonna stare at me and my stunning beauty?”

Bucky smirked at her and walked over, pocketing his cell phone once again; he threw his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled her into a warm hug. “Hey, nice to see ya too, Nat. How was your vacation?”

Natasha smiled and kissed his cheek back before dropping down to pet Zima happily. “Was pretty good. I needed that week away, I think. How was everything around here while I was gone? I heard you got a new guy you’re pining over.”

Bucky sighed as he looked down at her, his face turning pink in embarrassment. “Clint beat me to it, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Natasha grinned, looking up at him as she got to her feet again. “Told me all about your weird crush going on. With a baker of all people? For shame.” She gave the cupcake in his hands a pointed look, and smirked. “And he’s wooing you with sugar? How romantic.”

“Hey he’s hot and real sweet, what can I say? Plus his cupcakes are like fuckin’ gold, you really need to try this,” Bucky said waving the cupcake in front of her face. Juggling the leash and cupcake, Bucky then pulled his phone back out and searched Steve’s bakery on the internet. When he found it, he held out the phone to her, showing Steve’s picture on the “About Me” page. Steve was wearing a button up plaid shirt and crème colored cargo pants, and he was smiling up at the camera from over his shoulder. He was bent over the counter as he worked on another cake design, and his front and glasses were dusted in flour and sugar, making him look impossibly more adorable that he already was.

Natasha stared at the picture in front of her for a moment, surveying it with a careful eye before giving him a satisfied nod. “Yeah you picked good. He’s fuckin’ gorgeous. I’m proud of you, Bucky,” she added, punching him in the shoulder once she’d given him his phone back. “Let’s talk cute boys while we’re eating. I’m starving.”

With the change of subject, Bucky uttered a defeated whine in the back of his throat. “Are ya sure you don’ wanna go get burgers?” Bucky asked, looking up at the cafe they had agreed on with a frown. Jesus, he hated fancy restaurants; he always felt so out of place in them. The odd looks he usually got from people wherever he went didn’t help his apprehension either; despite his confidence, there were some days Bucky almost wished he hadn’t gotten the ink he had. “You know I don’ like fancy shit.”

“Yes, we’re eating here. You can’t live on fried food all your life, or you're gonna lose your sultry figure, Barnes.” Natasha teased him, before leading him to one of the outside tables. “Sit down and eat your healthy food like a good little boy, before I tie you to a chair and force feed you lima beans.”

“Oh fuck, not the lima beans!” Bucky exclaimed in mock horror at her empty threat; even still, he followed after her, tying Zima’s leash to the table leg before sitting down across from his friend. “Yeah, guess yer right. Better keep fit, especially if I wanna ask Steve out on a date.”

Natasha looked up at him, surprise crossing her face. “You’re really gonna ask him out? What if he’s not gay?” she asked, looking concerned as she watched her friend. “Do you really even talk to the guy? What if he’s not gay and he hurts your feelings if you ask him out?”

Bucky listened, his smile faltering a bit. Uh oh… there she went, being overly protective of him again; fuck, he wasn’t made of glass. Why did everyone think he needed babying when it came to his relationships, anymore? First Brock and Clint, now Natasha... “Hey, c’mon, I know what I’m doin’! I mean, it seems like he is. I dunno. I didn’ just come out and ask him, ya know? How fuckin’ weird would that be?” He sat up, and mocked a conversation with someone across from him. “Hey I think yer fuckin’ hot and I wanna date you. You gay? Let’s do this.”

Natasha snorted and punched him in the shoulder. “I mean it. Stop dickin’ around. Do you even talk to him?”

Bucky sighed, and looked up at her. “Yeah, like every day Nat. He’s really nice. Why are you actin’ so worried? Brock and Clint were actin’ weird, too, when they found out I had a crush on him. What gives?”

Natasha stared at him for a long moment, drumming her fingers on the tabletop in front of her in annoyance. “ _Gee_ I dunno, because Clint and I helped you out when you were on your own with no one to help you after your dad threw you out? _And_ all three of us were there for you when your last romantic foray crashed and burned and that asshole broke your heart?” She calmed down a bit and leaned closer to him, her expression melting into worry. “We’re not nagging you. We just don’t wanna see you get hurt again; that’s all Bucky. We just wanna make sure this guy is good for you, and isn’t hiding any baggage that you’ll have to deal with. We care about you, that’s why we’re worried.”

Bucky sighed, slumping back in his seat. “Yeah… yeah I know. Just… I really don’ think Steve’s like that. Even if he ain’t gay, he’s too nice. I’m pretty sure if I came onto him he’d let me down easy. He don’ seem like an asshole to me, ya know? And if he is gay, then… yeah, I could see myself datin’ him. He’s ridiculously nice and caring,” he paused mid-sentence, fiddling with the napkin on the table in nervous fingers; within seconds, the end of the paper napkin was shredded into confetti, and he brushed it off to the ground below. “I really… I think I really like ‘im.”

Natasha listened, nodding carefully. She bent down to give Zima a piece of cracker from the bread basket, and fed the puppy while Zima lapped up the crumbs from her palm happily. “I get it. So tell me about him. What’s he like? He bakes, we know that. He’s definitely got you wrapped around his pinky finger already.”

Bucky flushed and grinned, leaning his temple against his fist as he watched Natasha. “He’s great. He likes Tolkien and Adams. He likes scary movies and fantasy movies, and he’s got an apartment right by the bakery.”

“So he’s a lame ass that lives right by his job, just like you. And he likes reading books about elves. That’s two points in your favor,” Natasha said, ticking the points of on her fingers. “What else?”

Bucky smiled as he thought back to Steve; a huge smile crossed his lips as he sighed, looking up at the skies above them. To his right, he heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up to see the waitress coming to take their order. Despite Natasha’s earlier protests about his eating healthy, Bucky ordered a French fried chicken sandwich with house chips and a latte, giving his friend a smug grin as he leaned back in his chair. “He’s one of th’ few people that actually accept me for who I am; I mean, outside of our littl’ group, yeah? He said he likes my tattoos and stuff, and he didn’t judge me at all when I went into his shop the first time lookin’ like I got dragged through an oil field by my ears. And he’s been flirtin’ back with me.” He scratched at his ear as he spoke, looking up at Natasha with a smile. “I dunno. I jus’ feel it. It’s different this time, ya know? _He_ feels different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

Natasha listened to him, her eyes diverting back down to the table between them. Bucky’s phone sat out, still displaying Steve’s website, and she frowned. “I dunno something’s not sitting right with me. He’s too hot to not be taken right now. How do you know he’s not with someone, and just stringing you along? I’m not saying he looks like the type to do that, but… you know what happened the last time.”

That stung a lot more than Bucky had expected; he hated remembering how easily he’d been duped by Pierce and how badly he’d been burned when the truth of his ‘other life’ came out to him. Bucky tried to not think of him, and how heartbroken he’d been when he found out Pierce had been married at the time of dating him as well. Bucky didn’t want to admit it, but he’d definitely cried himself to sleep on Nat’s couch a couple times over the incident. Needless to say, Brock and Clint had taken good care of destroying the guy’s car the last time he brought it into their garage, claiming that the engine had been completely unsalvageable and that he needed to buy another Porsche.

Bucky hated to admit it, but Pierce had been part of the reason why his confidence levels had plummeted so quickly and so deeply; he had definitely felt like trash when he found out that his secretly loaded boyfriend had been stringing him along as the ‘dirty secret’ from his wife for almost 2 solid years. Then, when Bucky had become an issue he didn’t want to deal with anymore, his ex had dumped him unceremoniously, claiming that he felt that Bucky was too poor to be his side-toy any longer.

“We’re not talkin’ about him no more.” He said, his voice hedging on sad as he stared at the table in front of them.

Natasha sighed and leaned over. She took Bucky’s hand in hers and gave his fingers a gentle squeeze before she let go of his hand. “I know, baby. We won’t.” Natasha paused, a thought crossing her mind before her gaze turned impish. “Though I’m sure you’d like to know I found out that his wife cheated on him too, and now he’s got the clap something fierce,” she added, grinning at him wickedly.

Although he’d felt like shit just moments prior, Bucky burst into laughter, throwing his head back as he howled his mirth. “What, are you serious?! That’s karma right there! I definitely needed to know that!” he wheezed, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes as he looked down at his friend in delight. “The clap? No way! That’s amazin’!”

Natasha just smiled at him and leaned back in her seat. “I figured you needed to hear that. Now can we go back to talkin’ about your hot potential boyfriend whom I will kill if I find out he breaks your heart, and stuff our faces? I need coffee real bad; the jetlag is kicking my ass.”

Bucky grinned at her and looked up to see the waitress return to the table with their food. He took his plate from her and grabbed a chip off of the porcelain to feed to Zima. Zima lapped up the deep fried treat with delight, and he smiled down at her as he petted her head lovingly. His mind wandered back to Steve, and he felt a surge of confidence in his chest; Steve wasn’t the type to break his heart. Steve would never do that. Steve was pure perfection. Steve was nothing like this Pierce, nor like the rest of the world around them. Bucky, without a doubt, knew that he could learn to feel better about himself and grow to really love himself again; if only he could share that regrowth with the one guy that made him feel worth it again.

Now, more than ever, Bucky wanted to ask Steve out, introduce him to his friends, and forget about the fact that the majority of decent society thought him and his gang were undesirable because of their appearance and who they were. It was nice to know that there was someone out there that wouldn’t judge them for being different, and would actually be willing to get to know them as the good, decent, loving people they really were. Bucky knew for a fact that Steve would be just the person to break the mold and prove to them that classes didn’t have to stay away from each other any longer.

Steve liked him for who he was; Bucky knew he could be happy with someone like him. Now he just needed to work up the courage to ask him out on a date, and prove to himself that he could be happy with someone that liked him for who he was. “Yeah. I’m thinkin’ I like that idea very much,” he said, beaming up at Natasha as he plucked up a chip and ate it happily. “Did I happen to tell you how amazin’ his ass looks in a pair of tight Levi’s? Because he was wearin’ a sweet pair today, and his ass looks fuckin’ amazin’ I’m not even kiddin’...”

 

* * *

 

 

Just for the sake of knowing what Zima looks like:

May come back and add more photos later :D Enjoy!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my name on Tumblr to steves-winter-boobear. If you're looking for me at all on tumblr, Follow the link I provided in the following story note. If you're still having trouble finding me, let me know and I'll direct you properly!!!


	4. My Best Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve decides to take matters into his own hands to spend more time with Bucky. His plan doesn't quite go as he expected, and the outcome of his actions surprise even himself when he realizes exactly how much Bucky cares for him in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST CHAPTER POSTED WITH BETA EDITING!!!!!
> 
> Hopefully THIS fixes a lot of my past editing issues! My beta, bless her heart, had a lot to contend with, fixing up my chapter, so hopefully you guys REALLY enjoy! Thank her for her hard work, everyone! It wouldn't be the same without her expertise!!!
> 
> P.S. We're FINALLY getting to some NSFW stuff in this chapter! Muahahahahahaha!!! Porn in the beginning of the chapter, everyone! Hold onto your hats!

Steve lounged back on the bed, his head resting on a feathery soft pillow; he wore a soft smile on his lips, and nothing else as he lay totally bare to the cool, quiet room around him. He stared up at the ceiling above with that same, blissed out smile on his face, his own hand tracing invisible patterns over his bare chest until his skin was tingling with the barest hint of gooseflesh; a rustling down at his feet had him looking away from the stippled ceiling above him, down to the foot of the bed.

Between the cradle of his knees, Bucky lay sprawled on his belly and braced on his elbows as he smiled up at him. He was equally naked, save for the stark contrast of metallic ink etched into his flesh. The sight of it made Steve shiver with delight.  Without saying a word, Bucky reached down and traced his index finger up the inside of Steve’s bare thigh, up and up higher until he was circling his fingers over the length of his flaccid cock. “You look like you’re havin’ a good time there, Stevie…” Bucky breathed, holding his chin in his palm as he watched the blond man carefully. The languid smile never left his lips as he carefully stroked his fingers over his dick in barely-there brushes of his fingers.

Steve inhaled sharply at the touch, feeling his skin turning to fire beneath those deft, rough fingers. Almost instantly, every drop of blood in his body flew south and he watched with fascination as his cock twitched to life, swelling beneath Bucky's fingers until he was perfectly erect. “Y-you don’t make it… that hard to have fun, you know…” Steve whispered brokenly. He reached down and brushed his fingers through the long hair dangling in Bucky’s face; he pushed the dark strands back and gently fisted his fingers into his hair at the scalp, giving a gentle tug until he met resistance.

Without needing to be told twice, Bucky chuckled and took Steve’s dick in hand; he gave a few gentle strokes, before leaning up and swallowing his length down in one, smooth slide. It was strange, so warm and oddly dry, but oh God, did it feel amazing. Without missing a beat, Bucky began to bob his head, taking his length down until his nose brushed the fine hairs of Steve’s pubic line; his fist remained encircled around the base of Steve’s cock, keeping his length propped up as he sucked him off with a practiced ease, humming every so often to stimulate him further.

Steve whimpered, fighting the groan that wanted to bubble up his throat. His fingers tightened in Bucky’s hair, pulling just a little bit more on the long strands, until he could feel Bucky’s head moving slightly faster along his length. Steve gasped out, letting his head fall back to the pillow beneath him as he bucked up into the warmth of Bucky’s mouth; his toes curled at the pleasurable sensation and his skin tingled pleasantly as he fucked up into his partner’s willing throat, moaning with delight.

Bucky smiled around his girth and pulled back with an audible pop before he stroked the hot, wet cock in his hand in a firm-fisted pumping of his wrist. “Ooh you really liked that, didn’tcha?” Bucky asked, his smile turning positively sinful as he beamed up at him. “Want me to suck you off all the way, baby? Or do you want me to fuck you, real good? I can make you scream baby…” Bucky trailed off; he climbed up the bed, looming over Steve’s torso with a predatory intent. His hair hung in a dark curtain around his face and his hands pressed Steve into the bedding beneath them, fingers flexing against the meat of his shoulders in a possessive grip. “Make you cum so damn hard… Do you want me, baby? Do you want me to fuck you into the bed? I’ll make it so…” he paused, kissing a wet line down Steve’s throat to his collarbone. “So damn good for you…” Bucky nibbled at Steve’s collarbone, bruising a contrasting dark red mark against his pale skin. “Whatdya say, baby? Wanna ride me?” He asked, looking up at him through his too-long lashes.

Steve whimpered louder; he bucked up against the body on top of him, grinding their hips together in a slow roll until the two were rutting up against each other. Steve’s hands flew to Bucky’s back, gripping just over his shoulder blades as he held on tightly. “Oh fuck... yes! Yes, Bucky.. please fuck me, baby…” he whimpered; his lower lip caught between his teeth as he looked up at him with wide blue eyes. “Oh fuck yes, fuck me!”

Bucky laughed delightedly at the absolutely wrecked blond beneath him, his own blue eyes dancing with wicked intent. Already this turned on, and he hadn’t even started yet. “You’re just too damn perfect, ya know that?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, Bucky leaned over and grabbed a little bottle of lube from the table next to the bed. He popped the cap off with a click of plastic and the faint scent wafted into the air around him as he squeezed out a dollop into his hand. He worked the lube into his fingers and then slipped his hand down between Steve’s legs; he prodded his middle finger against the tight curl of Steve's hole, thrusting his hand back against his ass as he finger-fucked him open, right there on the bed. “So fuckin’ tight, baby… you’re gonna feel so fuckin’ good on my cock…”

Steve cried out, rocking his hips back against the slicked hand at his ass, until he felt Buck’s finger  prod into his fluttering channel. Fuck, it was so deep… so much pressure already, and it was only one finger. A thrill of excitement coursed through his veins as he stared up at his lover with adoration and lust burning bright in his skin. “I wanna scream, Bucky… make me cum so hard…” he begged in a tight voice. He flexed his legs around Bucky’s waist, drawing him closer as he rocked back against his hand for more of that intoxicating pleasure. “Fuck me open… I wanna feel you!”

“With pleasure, babe…” Bucky cooed. Without another word, he threw Steve’s legs over his shoulders, propping his ass up into the air as he rocked his hips up against his waiting hole. Steve could feel his length rubbing deep and firm against the cleft of his ass and a jolt of anticipation had him squirming, pleading wordlessly for Bucky to get on with it already. “Yer fuckin’ beautiful, baby… So warm, and all for me.”

Steve whimpered louder still; he pushed his ass back against his lap, begging to be split wide open. Anything, anything! As long as he could feel Bucky make love to him, make him feel so fucking sexy. _‘Oh God, Bucky…’_

But just as he prepared to allow Bucky to claim his body, mark him up and make him his, a loud screech rocked over the air, blaring loud and obnoxious in a frightening, ugly cadence, over and over again.

Steve bolted upright, gasping loudly as he fumbled for the side of the bed and the horrible alarm clock that roused him from such a beautiful dream. He slapped his hand at the alarm, tripping the snooze button before the clock fell right from the table and crashed to the floor with a splintering sound of plastic breaking. Breathing heavily, Steve stared at the side table for a moment, confused and irritated. Sleep cleared from his eyes gradually as he breathed, trying to ground himself as he came down from the heart-attack inducing scare that woke him up right in the middle of the best sex dream he’d had in a long time.

“Fuck… why!?” he whined, slumping back against the bedding as he stared up at the ceiling above him. Goddammit... maybe he could go back to sleep, pick up where he left off…

But as he glanced over at the window to his left, the sight of the pink horizon on the surface of the world told him he absolutely _had_ to get up. He couldn’t be late opening the shop. Tony would fucking kill him if he was.

But he had a small problem; well, maybe not small, per se. Looking down at his lap Steve stared at himself, seeing the raging hard-on that tented the front of his pajama pants up like a fucking flag; Steve was pretty damn sure that if he’d finished that dream, he would have cum all over himself in his sleep, and that would have been something, now wouldn’t it? 27 damn years old and having wet dreams again…

Then again…

He looked up at the ceiling, really taking a moment to think. He hadn’t had an erection in months. He hadn’t had sex in just as long. But here he was, laying here with a boner that needed some serious attention, and his skin was still tingling with the dregs of his dream. Fuck, he needed to get off. There was no way he was going to be able to go about his day like this....

Huffing through his nose, Steve decided he’d best take matters into his own hand, so to speak. He pushed the tops of his black pajama pants down around his thighs just above his knees, exposing his cock to the cool air around him. He whined at the sudden rush of chilly air around his engorged dick, and immediately wrapped his fist around his length; he gave it a few cursory strokes and instantly, every nerve in his body went into overdrive. This would definitely not take long at all.

Groaning in the back of his throat, Steve began to stroke himself, pumping his fist over his cock in a smooth up and down motion, before twisting his hand at the tip and starting all over again. He dug his heels into the bedding beneath him and rocked his hips up into the curl of his fist; soon he was openly fucking his fist, rocking up into his hand stroking firm and slow. He whimpered into the still air around him and instantly his mind went back to Bucky.

Bucky, laying between his legs, looking up at him like he was the moon and stars. Bucky, swallowing down his cock like a pro, sucking him off until his throat worked over the over-sensitive tip of his dick. Bucky, laying over him, telling him how good he was going to make him feel.

As he stroked himself, Steve’s fist slowed as another thought came to him. He’d imagined what it must feel like to be penetrated, to be fucked… but he had no experience in the act itself. He may have experimented in college, but he’d never bottomed for anyone; not once. Most of his encounters had involved quickie blow-jobs in the bathrooms of the school, or mutual handjobs in the car on dates. But he’d never _actually_ let someone fuck him.

Without a doubt, he knew he wanted Bucky to be the first.

But that didn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Biting his lip, Steve looked down at his cock, staring at his engorged, red prick in his fist as he pumped his hand, pace picking up as he stroked himself closer to the edge of release.

Curiosity got the better of him. What the hell, why not give it a try now? He’d seen enough porn to know to start with one finger. How hard could it be?

Without thinking, Steve stuck his left middle finger into his mouth and sucked the digit, getting a good layer of spit on his finger. He plucked his hand free from his mouth, and snaked his hand down to his hips. He paused, nerves starting to get the better of him. Would it hurt? Was he going to scratch himself? What if he did it wrong?

No. Steve shook his head, determined to push past those worries. He _had_ to know what it felt like. Closing his eyes, Steve slipped his hand down between his thighs, feeling his fist pumping against his cock as he wormed his free hand down between his legs. He could feel the rounds of his ass, pressed into the mattress beneath him, and he dug his heels into the bed. Lifting his ass up slightly, Steve slipped his hand down further, and spread himself just a bit to get his finger in right where he needed it. He could feel the tight furl of his muscle against the tip of his middle finger, but he didn’t let it stop him. As he stroked himself fast and hard, Steve pressed on, pushing his middle finger up against the clenched muscle. He met a bit of resistance, but carefully worked past it; he thrust his hand back against his ass, feeling his finger breaching his own ass little by little....

Suddenly, he breached that tightness in one, smooth slide, and his finger was slipping into his ass up to the second knuckle. Steve gasped out, his eyes flying open as he fingered himself, just barely thrusting his hand back against his ass.

Holy fuck… this felt amazing!

Whining into the still air around him, Steve bucked back against his own hand, feeling his hole taking his finger up to the base knuckle. With his hand firmly pressed up to his ass, he stroked harder; his whole body felt like it was on fire with lust, and he didn’t know if it wanted to buck back against his finger, or thrust up into his fist. Every nerve in his body was tingling with delight, and he could feel his balls tightening up.

Oh shit. Too quick, he was going to cum too quick!

“Holy fuck…” he gasped, twitching his finger inside his hole. With the angle, he couldn’t reach much further than this, but he didn’t care in the slightest. This was enough. Fuck it was too much! Too much, too good… he was going to cum. He was so close…!

Stroking harder until the slick of skin slapping together in the room was the only thing he could hear, Steve knew he didn’t want to miss this opportunity. He began to rub his hand back against his ass, thrusting his finger into his hole as he pumped his fist over his cock, simultaneously rocking back and forth against his hands until he didn’t know which way was up anymore. He was balancing on the edge; his legs tense, his skin hot and sweaty, his cock twitching firmly in his grasp and his ass fluttering wildly around his finger...

What did him in, finally, was not his own hands. As he fucked himself, desperate for release, his mind wandered back to Bucky with those sinfully blue eyes locked on his, that devilish smile on his lips. He imagined it was Bucky’s finger inside him, tickling and stroking him so sweetly. He imagined it was Bucky’s fist pumping him off, stroking fast and hard as he worked him over. He imagined kissing Bucky and what those plush, full lips would feel like against his own. He could practically smell the cologne, the earthy scent of a hard day’s sweat, motoroil on his skin…

Within seconds, Steve was cuming hard, spilling over his fist as he thrust his ass back against his hand. He cried out into the air around him, pumping his finger in and out of his ass in a fast, jerky motion as he fucked himself open, cuming hard enough that his release splattered over his chest and stomach in wet ropes. Fuck, there was so much! He couldn’t stop! Roll after roll of pleasure washed over him as he twisted his finger inside his ass, stroking his sensitive walls until another spurt of cum was dribbling onto his stomach to join the rest. Whining loudly in the back of his throat, Steve’s body went taut as he came, stuck in the throes of an orgasm so powerful he thought he could pass out.

FInally, after what seemed like hours, his body went lax against the bedding; Steve slumped back onto the mattress, his hand falling away from his softening cock to the damp sheets beneath him. His finger, still embedded inside his ass, twitched slightly to stroke the over-sensitive walls and he whined again. He didn’t want to move his hand... it felt so fucking good!

But he was over sensitive now. If he tried to thrust up into his body, he’d surely not be able to handle the overt pleasure any further. So with a disappointed moan, Steve slipped his hand from his ass, and his arms went limp to the bed on either side of himself.

“Holy fuck... holy… fuck…” Steve panted, staring up at the ceiling above him as he tried to come to terms with what happened. He didn’t think he’d like it, feeling something inside him, stroking his rigid walls, stretching him open…

Holy shit, he’d loved it.

Fuck, he just wanted to lay in bed all day; fantasies of finding out what exactly he liked danced through his mind and a stupid smile crossed his dry lips until he felt like they could crack. He didn’t think himself the type, but holy hell, did Steve want nothing more than to just lay in bed all day and finger himself to his heart’s content. He was addicted. Straight up addicted already, and he’d only used one finger.

Instantly, his mind supplied the notion of what it must be like to be fucked, deep and hard. ‘ _Holy shit, I bet Bucky feels fucking amazing…’_ Steve thought to himself. A stupid grin crossed his face at that thought, and he squirmed slightly on the bed, wishing he had first hand experience with _that._

Steve didn’t feel guilty as he finally crawled from bed to clean the evidence of his orgasm from his stomach. He didn’t feel guilty that he hadn’t thought of Sharon once during that whole ordeal.

Steve didn’t even feel guilty as he walked into the shop later that morning, almost 20 minutes late opening. Steve normally didn’t take long showers, but he’d discovered what it felt like to use two fingers on himself. He figured that was excuse enough to linger a little longer under that deliciously hot spray of water while he discovered himself for the first time in almost 3 decades.

* * *

 

“Okay… okay just do it,” Steve muttered to himself, shifting slightly in his spot as he stared down in front of him. “Just do it. It’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked himself again. Looking to the garage, Steve peeked over to see if anyone could see him. Okay… no one was looking. Everyone was too busy or not near the front of the garage. Perfect. He could get away with this.

“It’ll be fun. Just don’t think about how petty you’re being, trying to get his attention like this… nothing bad’s gonna happen.” Steve muttered, rubbing his hands over his eyes before dropping his glasses back down to the bridge of his nose. Staring down at the guts of his car, Steve lifted the wrench in his hand, and started prodding at the engine block in front of him. He didn’t honestly know what he was doing, but… some of these cables looked like they would do. Or maybe the battery…

He really didn’t want to think how childish he was being, sabotaging his own car just to get Bucky to spend a little more time with him. He refused, absolutely refused to think about it.

With his mind made up, Steve began to twist the wrench over one of the connector nubs ( _‘Terminal… I think it’s called a terminal…’)_ on the car battery, trying to separate it from the plastic as easily as possible. He flinched when the wrench slipped and clanged loudly against the interior of the engine block, and he looked up quickly to see if anyone could see him. No one seemed to hear the loud bang; at least no one was running over to see what his stupid ass was doing. As he watched the garage, Steve saw Bucky exiting the main office, carrying a clipboard in his hands and a pen stuck between his teeth. Steve stared at his silhouette for a long moment, a stupid smile crossing his lips as he watched him from a distance. Oh God, he was in way over his head…

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Steve turned his attention back to the battery in front of him. It didn’t take him long, but the hot sun beating down on him made him sweat at the temples, and he wiped his hand over his cheek just under the rim of his glasses as he dried the sweat from his skin. Fucking hell, kudos to those guys, doing this at all hours of the day in the blazing heat without complaint. He’d only been out here for ten minutes, and already he felt like he was roasting. In a t-shirt!

Shit, maybe he shouldn’t have worn his favorite Mets t-shirt that day...

After a few minutes, Steve finally got the nub separated from the battery, and he grinned triumphantly, holding the tiny piece of metal up in his palm. “Finally...” he sighed, pocketing the nub and carefully shutting the hood of his car. Just to be certain, he turned to the door and twisted the key in the ignition, trying to get the car to start.

It didn’t even turn over.

“Hah!” Steve laughed, standing up and smiling to himself. That ought to get Bucky’s attention on him for longer than just a half an hour. Maybe he’d get a full hour out of him that day. Bucky to the rescue, oh how grateful Steve would be to him, maybe offering to buy a drink for his hero…

Feeling far too smug with himself, Steve trotted back into the bakery, ready to get his ritual cupcake out for Bucky. It was almost 1pm, and it looked as if Bucky was getting ready to take his break soon. Steve beamed as he patted the pocket that held the nub of metal in it, and he leaned his elbows against the counter, trying to look bored. He didn’t want to seem _too_ eager. That would just be weird.

Of course, that was when Steve looked down at the register, and the order forms piled up next to the money drawer. He saw one on top, and he blinked down at the date on it. June 28th, 2015. An order of 3 dozen cupcakes for a birthday party at one of the nearby office towers, scheduled for a 1:30pm delivery.

That was today. In less than an hour to be precise...

Steve blinked at the form, staring at it for a moment as he tried to rationalize what he was seeing. Steve never forgot orders. When the hell had this been taken?

As he stared at it, he recognized the handwriting, and he cursed loudly under his breath. It was in Tony’s handwriting, and the order had been filled three days ago.

And... he’d just fucking sabotaged his own car.

“SHIT!” Steve gasped, lurching upright as he turned to scramble for the fridge in the back. Thank god, they’d only asked for vanilla creme cupcakes. He had plenty of those in stock. Maybe he could call Tony, tell him he needed him to drop them off. “Shit, shit shit!” Steve repeated, shoving cupcakes into boxes as he dug through his cabinet to find his insulated carrier. “Fuck, where is it!?’

He tripped over his own feet as he grabbed the insulated bag from the cupboard and stuffed the boxes inside. Scrambling for his cell phone, Steve punched in Tony’s number and balanced it on his shoulder with his chin as he grabbed for napkins, forks, and plates for the delivery. To his horror, the call went straight to voicemail. Fuck. That meant Tony was in a meeting.

Holy shit, he was so fucking screwed.

“FUCK!” Steve shouted, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. Fuck, why the _fuck_ did he think breaking his own goddamn car was a good idea!? Just to get the mechanic’s attention?! How fucking high school could he _get?!_

Seconds ticked by as Steve internally panicked over his dilemma. He couldn’t call anyone else to drive him. No one was available. Fuck, if he couldn’t drive the order over, he’d lose a notable client. This company was fairly high up, and if he failed to deliver, they would never endorse his product again. He’d just shot himself in the foot over his stupid crush.

Groaning in defeat, Steve thumped his forehead against the counter, feeling his glasses knocked askew in the act. He had to call them. If he just didn’t show up that would be worse, but… he’d never lost a client like this. He was such a fucking idiot.

Defeated and furious at himself, Steve picked up the shop’s phone, ready to dial the number on the order form and tell them that their order wouldn’t be coming; but just as he started to dial the number in, he heard the bell ringing in the door and he looked up. There, the object of his affections stood before him, his coveralls rolled down around his waist to expose the black tank top he wore beneath (‘ _Goddammit, stop looking so fucking sexy all the time!’_ ), and watching him with a surprised look on his face.

Crap. He probably looked pissed. Well, that just wasn’t going to fly.

“Hey, Stevie, y’okay?” Bucky asked, raising his brows in surprise. “Why’da look so pissed off? What happened?”

Steve sighed in defeat and gestured lamely to the street outside. “I have an order I’m supposed to be dropping off in half an hour, and my car’s dead! I can’t get a hold of Tony to pick me up!” he stated, sounding as upset as he felt. He probably should fess up that this was his own damn fault… but how the hell would he recover from something as embarrassing as that? Like hell was he going to tell Bucky that he’d done the damage himself. He’d never live it down.

“Yer car’s dead?” Bucky asked, sounding a bit nonplussed at his predicament. “That sucks. Want me to take a look at it for ya?”

Steve blinked, and the very light of heaven shone down on his crush right then and there. Duh! What had he wanted out of this in the first place? For Bucky to swoop in and spend time with him, of course! Maybe everything would be alright, after all!

“Oh my God. Yes please if you could!” Steve breathed, smiling up at him hugely. “God, thank you so much! I dunno how to thank you!”

“Well don’t thank me a’ready, I didn’ fix it yet!” Bucky chuckled, gesturing outside. “C’mon. Let’s go take a look and see what’s up.”

Steve nodded and followed him out into the blazing sun again. The two of them walked to where his dead car was parked and he watched as Bucky flipped the hood open with a practiced hand. Suddenly, Steve felt a stab of worry as he watched this clearly trained mechanic observe the guts of his car with a careful eye. Maybe he’d see that the damage was intentional. Would he figure it out? Oh God, why’d he even wake up this morning...

“The hell?” Bucky said, looking at the battery intently. “The battery’s been dicked with, man. Who the hell would do that to your car?”

Steve shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck as he tried to come up with a good excuse. “Uhh,... I dunno? It’s kinda shady around here at night, maybe just… someone did it on a whim?”

Bucky hummed and stood back up. “I gotchya. You walk here every day, so it don’ surprise me that you just noticed. Still, that’s real shitty that someone would do that to ya.” Looking back at Steve, Bucky smiled. “Lemme go see if I got another battery that’ll fit. I’ll be right back!”

Steve sighed and leaned his hip against the car door as he watched his friend trot back across the street to the garage. He felt fucking stupid. Why did he do this? He’d gone and fucked up just trying to get this man's attention on him; Bucky didn’t have a hard time focusing on him. Was he really that self-conscious? Masturbating that morning, be damned, he’d definitely still had that bug in his head that maybe Bucky only saw him as a friend, and it worried him sick. ‘ _You’re such a damn child, Steve…’_

As Steve mused over his thoughts in a self-appointed pity party, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he spied the mechanic tossing a battery up and down in his hand as easily as a ball, and he smiled. “You think that one’ll fit?” he asked, hope coloring his words.

Bucky shrugged, as he approached him. “I hope so. Otherwise I gotta order you one and that’ll take at least a day to come in. Here, hold this.” he said, pushing the battery into Steve’s hands.

Steve reached out to take the battery from him, but grunted at the sudden weight that dropped in his palms. He very nearly dropped the battery to the ground, stunned by the part’s sheer girth in his hands. Holy… what the fuck? But… He’d just seen Bucky tossing it around like it weighed nothing! “Holy cow this is heavy!” Steve exclaimed, looking up at Bucky with admiration in his eyes. Shit, Bucky was strong… _really_ strong…

Bucky nodded as he carefully removed the battery currently in Steve’s car. “That’s a good side effect of workin’ on cars all day. You get real strong real fast,” he said, removing the damaged battery and dropping it to the ground. He reached out with one hand and plucked the battery from Steve’s grip, carefully holding it over the foot hole of his car’s engine. “C’mon… fit, you fuckin’ bastard…”

Steve watched, carefully dusting his palms onto his jeans as he waited for Bucky’s verdict. He bit his lip in hopes, praying that this would work. Fuck he really needed it to work…

“Shit.” Bucky sighed, leaning back as he held the battery up. “It don’t fit. I can’t force it in there otherwise it’s gonna break your engine and short out the wires.” Bucky shot his friend an apologetic look, and shrugged. “I’m gonna have to order one for ya. I’m sorry, Stevie…”

Steve groaned, leaning back against the door of his car. “Dammit… I’m gonna have to call them and tell them I can’t make the delivery. It’ll piss them off… but…” he sighed, scrubbing his hands in his hair until the blond strands stuck up in wild spikes. After a moment, he looked up at Bucky and offered him a weak smile in return. “It’s okay, Bucky. You tried. Thank you.”

He looked away from Bucky, down to the ground for a moment as disappointment filled his chest. Resolving to just bite the bullet and go call the client, Steve pushed away from the car and turned to enter the bakery again. However, just as he did, he heard a throat clear behind him and he looked back at his friend.

“Uh… do you… do you want me to drive you?” Bucky asked, sounding a little shy as he spoke. “I got… I got a car down the block. I can run and go get it real quick so you can make yer delivery. It ain’t real clean or nothin’ but-”

“You’d really do that for me?” Steve interrupted, sounding stunned by his suggestion.

“Sure! I’d love t’drive you! Gets me outta the garage for awhile and we can have our talk like we do every day!” Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Whatdya say?’

Steve stared at him, stunned into silence. How the fuck did he get so lucky? Bucky, literal angel on this earth, was offering to drive him to his delivery drop off, just because he wanted to. “I’d love you forever if you did!” Steve blurted out; he could feel his cheeks flushing red again, but he didn’t rightly care at that moment. He’d never felt so relieved and so happy in his life; he figured he was owed a moment to blush.

Bucky grinned at him and turned to jog down the street. “A’right! I’ll be right back you jus’ get yer cakes ready!” Bucky called back to him.

Steve waved to him and darted into the shop to collect his order. Grabbing the lunch sign, he hung it up in the window and locked up the shop, his delivery bag slung carefully over his shoulder. Just as he turned back towards the street, he saw a small SUV pull up to the curb. it wasn’t a junker, but it was definitely old, older than his car. It was black with a bit more wear and tear on it than usual, but other than those few scuffs, it ran like a dream. Steve could barely even hear the engine running; clearly Bucky had fixed it up himself. Steve was pretty sure his car never ran as smoothly as this one did.

“Y’comin’ in or what?!” Bucky called through the window, grinning at him. Steve could hear the lock popping and he darted over, slipping into the passenger seat as he balanced the delivery bag on his lap.

“Thank you so much, Bucky. You seriously have no idea how much this means to me,” Steve breathed, smiling at him gratefully as the car pulled away from the curb.

Bucky just shrugged at him, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “Ain’t nothin’, man! You know that. I wanted to.” With that, Bucky reached into the visor-cd clip in front of him, and plucked out a disc from one of its slots. “Uh… hope you don’t mind some music?” he asked, looking over at Steve as he held the CD up.

Steve waved his hand at him. “Go ahead. I just listen to whatever's on the radio,” he answered, relaxing in the air conditioning of the car to watch the streets pass them by.

He heard the CD feed into the disk tray of the radio, and whirr to life. Suddenly, he jumped when the speakers blared to life with a chorus of voices. His eyes darted to the radio as he stared at it for a moment, fascinated with the symphonic melody. The vocals sounded like a cathedral choir singing an emphatic war ballad, but what caught his attention the most was the underscore of electric guitars and bass drum, flooding the car around him.

This… was the most fucking epic thing he’d heard in his life.

“... what the hell is this?” Steve asked, looking over at Bucky with wide eyes.

He saw Bucky flinch at his question, and look over at him wide apology in his eyes. “Sorry, man I shoulda asked. Not a lotta people listen to this shit, it’s pretty loud.” he said, reaching over to eject the CD. “What do you listen to? I got other stuff-”

“No!” Steve said, reaching out. This time, he clasped his hand over Bucky’s wrist, holding his hand steady. “Don’t. I like it. I’ve never heard it before, that’s all!” he said, beaming at him. “Who is this? What’s the song?”

Bucky looked up at him, his eyes darting to the traffic for a moment before he cracked a smile. “You really like it?”

“Hell yea! It sounds really cool!” Steve answered, dropping his hand to his lap again.

Bucky stared at him for a split second before he broke into his own relieved smile. “It’s… This is Nightwish. This is my favorite song by ‘em. S’called Wishmaster.” Bucky explained, putting his hands back on the steering wheel. “I dunno why I like this group so much, but it reminds me of all th’ books I used t’read ya know? Epic battles, and war and glory!” He grinned broadly as he thought back, his face lightening as he pictured the fantastical crusade in his head. “Kickin’ the bad guy’s asses all over the place to some sweet soundtrack, ya know?!”

Steve felt a shiver of delight course through him as he watched Bucky wax poetic about his favorite musical artist. Just the way Bucky would wave his hands as he talked about the songs, and then stunned him into complete silence by actually singing along to a couple of the tracks, Steve felt himself tumbling head over heels, in so deep already, with this man. Shit, Steve couldn’t keep up with the myriad ways why Bucky was perfect. He was hot, charming, sweet, had amazing tattoos, had a dog that he loved like none other, was resourceful and he had an amazing singing voice. Steve honestly didn’t think that Bucky could possibly be anymore perfect.

Within a few minutes, the two of them arrived at their destination, with just scant moments to spare. Steve bolted from the car with his order, carrying it into the lobby of the office tower, while Bucky waited outside with the car. It only took a few moments, but once the cupcakes had been passed off and the money slipped into Steve’s hand, he came back out, grinning triumphantly at the car. To his delight and amusement, Bucky laid on the horn, blaring loudly in return to Steve’s successful business, and Steve laughed outright at the obnoxious display before him. Sure they got a few dirty looks from passers-by, but Steve didn’t care one bit. This had definitely turned out to be a good day after all.

The two of them took the 20 minute drive back to the shops, with the windows rolled down in the car. From the speakers, floral cadences of electric guitar and a woman’s voice singing sweetly in the air around them had the two of them feeling giddy and excited as they listened to Orchestral Metal together in complete rapture. To hell with the people staring at them. They were having a great time!

By the time Bucky pulled back up in front of the garage, Steve really didn’t want to get out of the car. He lingered for a moment, looking over at Bucky with a wistful little smile. “Thank you… thank you so much Bucky. You really didn’t have to help me out at all, so… if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know, alright?” Reaching out, Steve placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder; he tried so hard to ignore the shiver of delight that coursed through him at the touch under his palm, and he beamed in excitement, meeting his friend’s gaze head-on.

Bucky shrugged in return, fiddling with the car keys in his lap before he finally looked up at him. “Like I said, it ain’t nothin’. I wanted to help you out; I hate seein’ you look miserable, ya know?” he answered simply. “You really don’t gotta pay me back alright. For this, or the car battery.”

Steve paused as he listened to him, his eyes widening again. “You… you’re not gonna charge me for the battery?” he asked, sounding stunned by it.

Bucky waved his hand, and smiled up at him. “Nah. Don’t even worry about it. I’ll take care of it for ya.”

“But... No, Bucky I can’t accept that!” Steve said, shaking his head at him. “Seriously! It’s not a 2 dollar cupcake here. That’s an expensive car battery, plus labor and… I don’t want you to get in trouble for me!”

“Hey, what’d I say? I wanna do it. Clint owes me a favor anyhow,” Bucky replied, winking at Steve before he placed his hand on the door. “But if you really feel that guilty, then I guess buy me a beer sometime, and we’ll call it square. Yeah?” As he gave his counter-offer, Bucky leaned in, waggling a brow at him in return. “I like my beer expensive so you just might make up for the cost of the battery anyway.”

Steve laughed, looking away from him as he plucked his glasses from his face. Cleaning the lens off on his t-shirt, he plopped them back onto his face and turned to regard Bucky with an equally teasing expression. “You’re on. I think that’s an even trade.”

Bucky nodded, his eyes casting across the street. He saw a woman standing outside Steve’s bakery, and he smirked. “Uh oh, you better get over there. Looks like you have a customer.”

Steve glanced over and he nodded. “Yep. Back to it then.” Steve clambered out of the car, but before he left, he leaned back into the door and winked at Bucky. “See you tomorrow, Buck! Have a good rest of your shift!”

“Oh I will!” Bucky replied, waving at him as he stuffed his keys back into his pocket. “See ya tomorrow, Stevie!”

Steve beamed at him as he slammed the car door shut. Trotting across the street, he offered an apology to the woman for making her wait and unlocked the shop to let her inside. But before he stepped in after her, he looked back at the garage and smiled as he waved to his mechanic.

His mechanic. He liked the sound of that. Steve may have been way in over his head, but he would happily drown in Bucky, if it meant he got to spend one more second with him every single day. He was not ashamed to admit that.

* * *

 

The sun was dipping low in the sky by the time Bucky hung up his towel for the day. He swiped his hand over his face, clearing away sweat from his brow as he walked his clipboard back over to Clint’s office, and set it on the little peg hook outside his door. He was starting to feel a little hungry, and his stomach growled in protest at the long, hard day he’d put in once again. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Having a whole day off to himself sounded like a really good idea, and he was definitely looking forward to lazing about the day in his boxers and watch television.

Ever since the incident with Steve’s car the day before, Bucky had waited anxiously for the new battery to come all morning, hoping it would arrive before his break that day. Luckily, it had shown up with first shipments and he readily walked the battery across the street during his break and installed it for Steve while the two sat out in the sun and chatted up their half hour together. This time, Steve had been kind enough to give Bucky 2 cupcakes instead of his usual one; when Bucky had protested the free treat, Steve said he’d actually messed up the design on this one and couldn’t give it to the customer. Since it had been a custom order anyway, it wasn’t really going to affect his numbers all that much. Bucky didn’t really complain after that as he munched his way through the sweet treat, but he couldn’t argue that the best part of the whole thing had been watching Steve chatter happily, with a faint line of sweat running down his temple and causing a strand of blond hair to stick to his skin.

Holy hell, did he want to see what Steve looked like all sweaty and breathless…

Shaking his head hard, Bucky cleared the thought from his head before it got out of hand and turned to leave the garage for the day. However, just as he did, he heard the office door open and he looked up to see Clint watching him. “Hey, Clint. Everything a’right?”

“Yeah, it’s all good! I’m glad I caught you. Got somethin’ for ya.” Clint said, holding a finger up to him. He dipped back into the office for a second. When he remerged, Bucky’s eyes darted down to his hands and he blinked in surprise.

“Uhh… Clint?” Bucky asked, looking up at his friend. “Why d’ya have an entire case of beer for me?”

Clint grinned, looking down at the case in his hands. “It aint’ from me, man. It was from your secret admirer, who ain’t so secret you know. He just made me promise that you wouldn’t get this until the end of the shift.” With that, he passed the case over to Bucky and leaned his hip against the doorframe of his office. “He’s got a note attached to it, too.”

Bucky blinked as he took the case from Clint, feeling completely bowled over by the whole thing. Okay… when he had suggested Steve buy him a beer, he hadn’t intended on him buying an entire case at the drop of a hat! Bucky looked down at the case and sure enough, there was a small note taped to the top of it. Looking up at Clint, he saw the knowing grin plastered all over his friend’s face, and he rolled his eyes at him. “Oh knock it off…”

“What? I didn’ say a fuckin’ word,” Clint replied, laughing as he turned to head back into the office, still laughing his head off.

Bucky scowled at him for a moment, but turned to set the case down on the nearest table. Plucking up the note, Bucky unfolded it and let his eyes skim over the words etched in ink. Steve had gorgeous handwriting… Bucky would kill to have penmanship as precise as this...

**Bucky,**

**I hope this brand suits your tastes. I figured that if you were giving me a car battery for free, I might as well go the distance and show you my appreciation. Consider this a thank you for everything you’ve done for me so far. You really have no idea how much I appreciate having you in my life. :)**

**Stevie**

Bucky read over the note a second time, grinning to himself as he folded the paper up and stuck it in his pocket. He was not ashamed to admit he was probably going to dive right into this case tomorrow, and make a significant dent in it as quickly as possible.

Feeling giddier than ever, Bucky looked up at the bakery across the street. He saw Steve locking up the bakery for the night, and his eyes lingered on his back for a moment, just taking a second to admire his crush’s stunning physique. At some point during the day, Steve had shed his white button up, leaving him in a pastel blue undershirt hanging neatly over the tops of his khaki pants; even looking rumpled, Steve looked like sex on legs to the mechanic. How did he hit the jackpot? How did he score a friendship with someone so fucking beautiful and perfect? Bucky Barnes, grease rat and college avoidance champion 7 years running, making friends (and falling deeply in love) with a perfect specimen of humanity and success. He really needed to go buy a lottery ticket or something.

Deciding that a simple thank you pilsner wasn’t enough, Bucky stepped up to the front of the garage and cupped his hands around his mouth. “HEY! STEVIE!” He saw Steve turn on his heel, his eyes darting to the garage, and he waved him over. “C’MERE! I WANT YOU TO MEET THE REST OF THE CREW!”

Holy shit, he hoped he wasn’t about to shoot himself in the foot here; not a lot of people appreciated the brutish and brash crew he hung around with on a daily basis. He hoped to hell and back that Steve wouldn’t get freaked out by their presence and refuse to speak to him from this moment forward. But... he’d already opened his mouth and spoke up. Time to face the music.

Bucky, despite his nerves, felt a grin dance across his lips as he watched Steve immediately jog across the street towards the garage, and he gestured to him. “C’mon. Come inside, the rest of ‘em wanna meetcha.”

“The rest of who wanna meet what?” Brock’s voice cut in, and Bucky turned to see his oldest friend approaching him. He saw Brock cast a scrutinizing eye over Steve, and he immediately held his breath. He knew his friends were overprotective of him, damn his easily wooed heart. But Jesus Christ, he hoped Brock didn’t open his big mouth and scare Steve off. Of his friends, Bucky knew that Brock was the one he really needed to worry about; Brock was never afraid to speak his mind on his opinions of a person, and if he didn’t like someone he was quick to show it. _‘Please don’t hate ‘im. Please, for the love of fuck, don’ be a dick, Brock…’_ Bucky silently prayed to himself, his eyes darting between the two men as they approached each other.

Even still, Steve held true to his nature, a huge smile plastered across his face as he extended his hand to Brock. Bucky held his breath, waiting to see was Brock would do, internally screaming at the awkward tension that hovered in the air at that exact moment.

“Hi!” Steve said, beaming at Brock without a worry on his features. “Name’s Steve. It’s really nice to meet you! Bucky’s a really awesome guy, I’m really glad I got to meet him.”

Brock stared back at Steve, his eyes darting down from his face to his extended hand. After a beat too long, Brock extended his hand to him and shook Steve’s, leveling him with his best brotherly stare-down he could manage. “Nice to meetcha. Bucky talks a lot about ya; say’s yer a real nice guy, too.”

Bucky let out a puff of air he hadn’t really realized he was holding in, and he felt his shoulders slump. Okay, so far so good. Brock hadn’t said anything totally embarrassing yet. Shooting Steve a bright smile as well, Bucky stepped up to their sides, looking between them as they got acquainted. “Honestly, it’s really all been me that’s had th’ pleasure. Steve’s real sweet, Brock.”

Brock grunted in response, letting go of the baker’s hand before stepping up to Bucky’s side. “Can see that, yeah. Anyone willin’ t’buy this little romantic shit a full case’a beer must be real swell. He hasn’t tried usin’ his weird little pickup lines on ya has he, _Stevie_?”

Bucky’s smile cracked and he rolled his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. And there was his moment. It never failed that Brock Rumlow would come up with something to embarrass Bucky by. “Brock… shut up, man..”

“What’s goin’ on? Is Brock being his usual dick self again?” Natasha’s voice chimed in, and the three of them turned to see her stepping out of the office. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a Barton's Garage polo and her usual black apron, her hands full of a stack of papers from their day’s workload.

Bucky gestured for her to come over, almost frantic as he hid behind an awkward smile. “Hey, Nat! C’mere, this is Steve!” Bucky exclaimed, hoping to stop anymore of Brock’s yammering, with input from someone with an actual filter. He was going to have to smack him upside the head a few dozen times… with a wrench if he could manage it.

Thankfully, Steve didn’t look bothered at all by his friend's earlier statement. He was still smiling brightly, as if nothing could possibly dissuade him from the current conversation. That was good at least; most people didn’t make it this far.

Nat stepped up, dusting her hands off on her apron before she shook Steve’s hand in turn. She was eyeing him up carefully as well, though she was far more adept at hiding it than Brock at least. Bucky really needed to convince his friends he could go about his romantic forays without a monkey on his shoulder… “Pleasure, Steve. How long have you been in the baking business?”

“Oh, been in it for almost two years now. I opened up shop here the October before last, so it’s been a steady incline ever since,” Steve replied, flashing Bucky a wink before he turned his attention fully to her. "With Bucky’s patronage, I don’t think I’ve had a more loyal customer. I really, _really_ enjoy our chats every day. Probably more than he even realizes.”

Bucky flushed at Steve’s words and he looked up at him with awe on his features; holy shit, Steve had just openly admitted that he liked Bucky. Probably not as intimately as Bucky hoped, but it was there! And with the approving looks Brock and Natasha gave him, they were definitely keen on that statement. Bucky could practically see the cogs turning in Steve’s favor in their eyes, and he felt a rush of relief and excitement in his chest at the sight of it. At this rate, Steve was definitely going to get their blessing.

As he spoke, Clint exited his office and watched the group of them, clearing his throat to get Bucky’s attention. Bucky turned to his employer, and watched Clint flash him a quick thumbs-up, before winking heartily at his chosen romantic interest. Sure, his friend’s could really tease the hell out of him, but at least he knew he could trust their opinion. If Clint was already convinced without even having to talk to Steve, then that meant Natasha wouldn’t be difficult to sway from the way their current conversation was headed. Brock would be the most difficult to talk into accepting, but with his two friends on his side, Bucky didn’t see it to be a problem. Besides, Brock already looked like he was convinced that Steve was a good match for Bucky.

Thank God for small miracles.

Bucky cleared his throat to get their attention, and he gestured to the beer case on the table. “Uhm… I’ll be right back, okay? Gonna go put this outside so I can carry it home later.”

“Jus’ leave it in the back, man! I ain’t gonna mark you for it!” Clint said, as he stepped up to their little gaggle and clapped his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Remember we were gonna head out to the pier for dinner tonight? Don’ think you wanna lug that shit aroun’. Unless yer willin’ to let us help you lighten the load a little,” he added with a suggestive waggle of his brow.

Bucky nodded, remembering that they had made plans, the four of them, to go get food after work. Slapping his hand over his brow, Bucky groaned. “Ugh, yer right, I forgot. Fuck that, I ain’t carryin’ this around all night.” He reached out and slapped Clint’s hand as he saw it creeping slowly towards the case in his hands and he glowered at him. “Fuck off, I ain’t sharin’!”

“Aww c’mon!” Clint whined, looking over at Steve imploringly. “Steve! Make your boyfriend share!”

Oh Jesus Christ, did he say that!? Bucky flushed deep red, his eyes blowing wide as he coughed loudly and turned on his heel. Fuck, fuck fuck! He couldn’t look. He didn’t want to see the pure rejection written all over Steve’s face; he couldn’t see the moment Steve realized exactly how much Bucky was into him, and decided at the last possible moment that their friendship was over. Fucking Christ he was going to _kill_ Clint!

But before he could walk away, he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder, and he looked up; Steve was staring down at him, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes spoke volumes, reassuring Bucky that all would be well before turning his attention to Clint.

“I could probably try my best, but I know him well enough now. He hates sharing. But I’ll see if we can work on that. Won’t we, Bucky?” Steve asked, flashing him a shit-eating smile before laughing out loud.

Bucky didn’t really know what to say. He couldn’t even really remember how to _breathe_ properly. He was fairly certain Steve had caught onto his discomfort, despite his best intentions on hiding it, and he hadn’t rejected him. In fact, he’d openly accepted Clint’s jest. He didn’t hate him!

Still, he didn’t want to trust his luck. Bucky flashed Steve a sheepish look, and mouthed “I’m so sorry!’ to him, beneath the chatter of his friends around him. When Steve simply waved his hand and whispered, “It’s okay” back to him, Bucky felt relatively comforted that there was no bad blood about Clint’s tactless response.

With his pride mostly in tact, Bucky turned and slipped into the back of the garage, wandering into the break room before setting the beer case on the little communal table inside. He took a moment to change from his uniform to a red shirt with a pair of faded Levi's and some well loved sneakers, and doused himself with a heavy dose of deodorant spray. Uttering a tired groan, Bucky slumped into the chair, threading his fingers into his hair as he inhaled through his nose to calm his beating heart and really rationalize this whole fucking thing. Christ, he was still going to kill Clint over that; regardless of whether or not Steve took it well, Bucky didn’t want to think how hurt he would have been if he’d learned right then and there that he was the lone partner in this weird little relationship dance they were sharing over the past month. Oh, he was totally going to slip SoCo into all of Clint’s drinks for this…

“Hey, you a’right?” A voice broke in, startling Bucky from his thoughts. He looked up to see Brock standing in the doorway of the room, and he smiled meekly at him.

“Uh, yeah.. ‘m fine. Why?” Bucky asked, sitting up in his chair.

Brock rolled his eyes at his response, and punched Bucky in the shoulder as he sat across from him. “Don’ gimme that shit, I saw you take off with yer tail between yer legs. What, you think this is some big, unrequited love affair you got goin’ on here, Buck?”

Bucky shrugged as he rubbed his sore shoulder; still, he plastered on a smug expression, leaning over the table to speak. “Wow, such a big word. I didn’t think you been readin’ the dictionary, Brock.”

Brock held his hand up to him, leveling him with a serious look. “I’m gonna ignore that right now to give you the verbal slap down yer ass needs. Get that shit outta yer head about Steve not likin’ you, Bucky, and open yer damn eyes. Don’t you even see the way he looks at ya? Couplea fuckin’ saps the both of ya, I swear to God.”

Bucky flinched back, eyes widening in surprise. “Wait… yer not like… comin’ to tell me he ain’t got the Rumlow Blessing? Huh?”

“I'm sayin’ if he makes eyes at you any harder, I’m afraid he’s gonna start lickin’ yer face and cuddlin’ ya before you even get the chance ta ask ‘im out.” Brock lowered his hand to the table, and his expression softened. It wasn’t one he wore often; too many years of hard work and tough city living left him with an almost permanent scowl on his face. But this look… it was reserved for his friends, and only when he spoke from the bottom of his heart. “I’m sayin’, he’s a good guy. A real good guy. He gets along with Clint and Nat, he’s nice… he’s got eyes only fer you, man.” Standing from the table, Brock clapped his friend on the back and winked. “I say go for it. Ask ‘im out when yer ready, but don’ wait too long. I wouldn’t wanna let somebody like that slip through my fingers if I could help it. I just don’t want you missin’ yer chance, Bucky. You really do deserve to be happy again.”

“Hey, I’m happy!” Bucky protested; he couldn’t hide the blush coloring his cheeks a deep pink, but he really had no reason to lie or feel embarrassed. On the hole, Bucky really enjoyed his life. He liked his job, he had amazing friends, an apartment and a dog. The only thing he’d really been missing was the comfort of a loving relationship.

And maybe he’d finally found it.

“I ain’t talkin’ about that kinda happy, man…” Brock eased, glancing to the door to see if he could hear anyone coming in. “I’m talkin’ the kinda happy you were before Alex broke yer heart in half. But…  I think you finally got that break you were lookin’ for, if you know what I mean. So you better not miss it by bein’ a chickenshit.” Brock slipped from the break room, then moments later, stuck his head back in the door. “Go be stupid in love, you idiot. Now c’mon! I’m hungry and Clint invited Steve to come with us to the pier! Ass in gear, soldier!”

Bucky stared after him, his heart hammering in his chest. Shit… was Brock right? Steve actually liked him? Bucky couldn’t tear his eyes from the doorway his friend had disappeared through, and he broke into the biggest grin. Steve liked him! Honest to fucking God, liked him! Squirming in his seat, Bucky clapped his hands over his face and laughed, shaking his head as the giddy sensation bubbled over inside him, making him want to scream with delight.

He didn’t fucking care how big of a girl he looked like at that moment. Steve Rogers fucking liked him! This couldn’t possibly have been a better day!

* * *

 

The sun had long since set over the bay, starlight casting over the rippling water in little diamond chips of light. Despite the hot day beforehand, the evening was pleasantly cool, almost chilled enough to require a light jacket to ward off the breeze blowing in off the water. After a filling dinner of pub burgers and beer, the group had set off together into the night, talking and laughing amongst themselves as they caroused the night in a post workday buzz of alcohol and good cheer.

Steve hadn’t left Bucky’s side the entire night. He had readily accepted Clint and Natasha's invitation because that meant he got to spend the evening with Bucky. Without shame, Steve had planted himself right next to Bucky in the old-wooden booth of the dim bar they had chosen, the two of them fighting good-naturedly every time the other would steal a french fry off of the other’s plate. When Bucky had gotten up to go get them a fresh draft, Steve had snatched his plate right up and hide it beneath the table, shushing Bucky’s friends as he tried to keep the straightest face possible. Of course, he’d failed the minute Bucky returned and stared at his blank spot like someone had kicked his puppy, and he broke into laughter as he set the plate down on the table again. This may or may not have resulted in the world’s worst headlock he’d ever gotten, but to Steve it had been totally worth it.

He wouldn’t dare admit out loud, but he rather liked how Bucky’s heart sounded, beating against his ribcage; he’d gotten a perfect chance to listen to that strong pulse beneath his skin, the minute Bucky had pinned him in the booth, scrubbing his knuckles over his hair as he teased him for attempting to prank him on the spot.

When the group had finally finished their meal and set out for a decent walk along the water’s edge, Steve migrated right back to Bucky’s side, the two of them bumping shoulders and shooting each other meaningful looks every so often. Steve had been so enraptured in the evening with Bucky that he barely noticed Natasha claim to be tired and suggest (quite strongly) that the group disperse for the night. He’d only been clued in, when he felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Clint smiling at him, hand extended to give him a proper goodbye.

“You guys are taking off already?” He asked, shaking Clint’s hand. He looked back at Bucky in surprise, wondering if Bucky would be ready to go back home too.

“Yeah, gotta be up stupid early tomorrow for the garage,” Clint answered. “Got big deliveries comin’ in so I gotta be there bright and cheery for the UPS guy.”

“Yeeaaah, and I ain’t a young guy no more, myself…” Brock cut in, rolling his shoulders in a show of exhaustion. “I better turn in myself. Was good meetin’ ya, Steve. See ya around again, sometime?”

Steve nodded. “Of course! If you guys want to come over to the bakery at any time, I usually keep bottles of water in the fridge in the back. You’re more than welcome to come over at any time.”

“That’s really nice of you, Steve,” Natasha replied, pulling the taller man into a friendly hug. “We’ll definitely keep that in mind. Bucky you need a ride home?” she added, glancing over Steve’s shoulder to her friend.

Steve felt a muddle of disappointment in his chest. He didn’t want to go home yet; he wanted to spend as many hours as he could with Bucky. But if Bucky was tired- and he probably was, working as hard as he did every day- he’d probably want to go home too. Steve didn’t blame him. But he selfishly hoped that Bucky wouldn’t agree to Natasha’s offer.

To his relief, Bucky shook his head and waved off his friend. “Nah. I’m good to stay out fer awhile more. I can always walk home from here, or grab a cab if I absolutely have to. Thanks anyway though.” He paused, glancing up at Steve. “Unless you wanna go home now? I’m good with walkin’ you home if you like.”

“N-no! I’m good to stay out!” Steve exclaimed, fighting the urge to giggle at Bucky’s suggestion. Fucking grown ass man, giggling over his crush. What would his friends think of him now? But Bucky wanted to stay out with him, and even offered to walk him home. If someone asked him to, Steve could practically fly.

Bucky returned to eager smile and winked to Natasha. “I think that’s settled then. If you need me tomorrow, Nat, just call me in. I ain’t doin’ anything, so if you need help with the deliveries-”

“Can it, Barnes, you work too hard as it is. Take a day off before we beat you senseless,” Natasha griped, holding her palm out to him. “Hear me? You actually relax for once, or I’m gonna be righteously pissed off at you.”

“Yes, Ma,” Bucky sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation before gripping Steve’s elbow. “C’mon. I think we can safely go grab another beer before we keep walkin’. You up for it?”

Like tiny electrical bolts through his skin, Steve felt every inch of contact on his arm, and he looked down at Bucky’s hand with a barely concealed gasp. His eyes lingered on his hand for a moment before he looked up and met Bucky’s gaze. “Y-yeah… yeah I’m good for another beer….”

He was so lost in his haze of surprise and delight, he barely heard the others say goodbye before the two of them were left alone on the pier. Feeling Bucky’s hand tugging him along, he followed dumbly, trying to rewire his brain into forming coherent sentences once again.

“Hey, you okay?” Bucky's voice cut through the fog in his mind and he looked up to see the brunet staring at him with a mixture of concern and amusement on his face. “You still with me? Maybe we should skip the beers….”

“N-no! No, no I’m fine,” Steve protested, shaking himself from his stupor. “I’m fine. Just… had a moment I guess. I’m good, I promise.”

“You sure?” Bucky asked, leaning in to look in his eyes. “Just don’ want you walkin’ off the end of a pier or somethin’. I really don’t feel like walkin’ home in wet jeans after savin’ yer ass.”

Christ, even teasing him, Bucky was the hottest thing Steve had come to know in his life. He listened carefully, throat working dryly as he attempted to swallow the lump that had formed. He really needed to get his head wrapped around this reality. Bucky was here, Bucky was touching him, Bucky was concerned for him. Bucky was 100% real and part of Steve’s life now; he couldn’t act like a blithering fucking dope every time Bucky even so much as looked at him.

“I promise,” Steve finally replied. He’d managed to calm himself down significantly (at least enough to speak like a normal human being), and he gestured to the nearest bar. “Drinks?”

“Sure. Not too many though. I might got the day off tomorrow, but you sure as hell don’,” Bucky retorted, poking Steve in the chest. “No gettin’ shit faced for you, mister.”

“Hey, I can take care of myself!” Steve protested, huffing. He mustered up his best pout and leveled it at his friend, earning him that precious groan he loved so much.

“What’d I say about the pouting, man!?” Bucky whined. “I told you that shit’s lethal! You can get anythin’ you want with that damn pout, I swear to God.”

“Anything at all huh?” Steve mused. “So if I really want something out of you I just need to brush up on my puppy eyes, huh?”

“Oh, don’t even!” Bucky exclaimed. He turned on his heel and darted for the bar across the pier. “Last one in is buyin’, punk!”

“That’s not fair! You cheated!” Steve hollered back, bolting after his friend as they ran for the bar. Though it was a close race Steve did concede defeat, watching as Bucky crowed happily at his victory and danced in the doorway of the bar in delight. _‘He’s so cute… how the hell did I get so lucky…’_

“Hey you comin’ in or what?” Bucky asked, holding the door open for him. Steve snapped out of his revere and nodded, slipping into the bar in front of him. “I’m thinkin’ just grabbin’ bottles and takin’ ‘em to the docks. Whatdya think?”

“Sure, that sounds like a really good idea to me,” Steve replied. Gesturing for Bucky to stay by the door, Steve approached the bar stock and asked for a couple bottles to go. Once he’d given the bar keep his twenty, he grabbed the bottles, still ice cold from the fridge, and maneuvered his way through the crowd back to Bucky’s side. “Here. Let’s get the hell outta here. Too crowded…”

“I agree,” Bucky said, eyeing up the group in front of them with distaste before grabbing Steve’s arm. “Let’s go!”

In a flurry of motion, the two of them managed to cross the docks without hesitation, and found themselves a quiet, secluded pier just on the edge of the harbor. The area was rather dark, save for a few random lampposts installed along the wooden walkway, and there was no one to be seen. It was perfect for a moment just between the two of them, and Steve couldn’t shake how romantic it felt.

Feeling a happy flutter in his stomach, Steve fought like hell to keep his smile from his lips. He failed miserably, when Bucky reached up and poked his cheek with his index finger.

“Yer grinnin’ again.”

Steve slapped at his hand, shooting his friend a scandalized look. “Rude, Mr. Barnes. You shouldn’t poke a man’s cheek. It's not decent!”

“Psh-yeah, like I give two flips about bein’ decent,” Bucky scoffed as he sat down on the edge of the pier. He let his legs dangle over the edge of the dock towards the water below, and he looked up at Steve as he patted the wood next to him. “Pop a squat, Betty Crocker.”

Steve laughed, tossing his head back in mirth at Bucky’s nickname for him. “Please don’t call me that in front of my friends, I’ll never live it down,” he added through his peals of laughter. He was chuckling so hard, he actually struggled to sit down on the dock without toppling over into the water below. Maybe he was a little bit tipsier than he thought…

Bucky didn’t chide him for his tipsiness. Instead, he reached out and took Steve’s elbow in his hand, helping him down to sit on the wood. His hand lingered on Steve’s elbow for a moment, as if he wasn’t so sure if Steve wouldn't actually fall. Steve couldn’t ignore how fucking adorable it was, that Bucky was so concerned for him. It was just a few beers. Six, or eight, he didn’t remember anymore, but he was too busy enjoying himself to really give a shit.

The two of them didn’t speak for a long time. Instead, they both fell silent, listening to the lapping of the water against the pier stanchions, the distant chortling of gulls over the water, and the far off laughter of other bar patrons as they enjoyed the night out. This was really nice… a beautiful night, spent with Bucky and Bucky alone after some really good food, and the quiet, comforting atmosphere of a secluded dock, the moment shared just for the two of them. Deep down, Steve hoped that he could count this as a second date.

“So…” Bucky said, cutting the silence with his words. Steve looked up from the water below his feet, and met his gaze head on. Bucky’s lower lip was caught between his teeth, as if he were contemplating his next words carefully; Steve felt a shiver of anticipation in his stomach at Bucky's hesitance. “Got an important question to ask you…”

“Yeah, Bucky?” Oh shit. Was Bucky asking him out? Was Bucky going to want to go steady with him? Suddenly, every nerve in Steve's body fired off at once, and the cold, hard reality of his life came crashing down on his head. He hadn’t broken up with Sharon yet. He hadn’t even seen her to tell her; his soon-to-be-ex-fiancee had left for a few days away with her friends, and hadn’t answered her phone once since she’d been gone. Steve didn’t feel comfortable breaking up with someone over the phone; it just felt wrong to him. But, now he wished he’d at least had _that_ opportunity. Anything would be better than having to face the fact that he wasn’t a single man. Shit. “... what’s your question?”

Bucky seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he were turning the words over in his head for a moment. Finally, after an agonizingly long pause, he looked up at Steve, and that same, smug smile crossed his lips. “How’d you manage to get the terminal separated off yer car battery without electrocutin’ yer dumb ass?”

Oh. Okay. That wasn’t the question he was expecting.

Steve stared at him for a long moment, his muddled mind trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about… then it hit him. Yesterday. His botch job. Steve felt his face turn beet red in an instant, and he stammered around his words as he tried to come up with a good response. “Uhm… I Uh.. what? What are you… I don't know what you mean..?” Steve asked, lamely. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away from Bucky in embarrassment. Shit, of course Bucky figured it out. Steve wondered, for a moment, when it was that Bucky had put two-and-two together and figured out that Steve’s dead car was his own doing. It couldn't have been that long after he’d looked at it.

But as he kept his gaze averted from Bucky, he suddenly felt a hand snake out and snatch his glasses right off of his nose. Yelping out in surprise, Steve looked up, his eyes wide as he saw Bucky holding his glasses at arm’s length away from him. “Hey! Bucky, what-!”

“Seriously!” Bucky shot back. This time, his smug expression was replaced with concern, and the frown on his face was nothing short of worried. “Seriously, you really coulda hurt yourself. Car batteries can hurt people. It’s a fuckin’ miracle you didn’t get shocked or make the damn thing explode!”

Steve felt like a child, scolded by his friend; but, Bucky was right. What he’d done was stupid and childish, and he deserved to get yelled at for it. Doing it, just to get Bucky’s attention on him, went right up there at the top of Steve’s list of “Stupid shit to never repeat again in your life”, and he planned on keeping it there. “I just… I know. I’m sorry.” Steve felt so small. What if this ruined his chances for good? "When did you figure out it was me?"

"Uhh... right when I looked at the battery. Ain't no kid strong enough to  rip that shit off. Plus you seemed real nervous the whole time. You can't lie fer shit." Silence settled between them for a moment. “I just wanna know why you dicked with yer own car battery, man.” Bucky asked, handing Steve his glasses back. “I’ve been shocked by car batteries before. It hurts like a bitch. What the hell made you decide to do that?”

“Because I was hoping you’d spend more than just a half an hour with me!” Steve blurted out, before clapping his hand over his mouth. He felt mortified, and he looked up at Bucky, hoping he didn’t see a disgusted glare, or a pitied frown. This was it: the moment of truth. Would Bucky push him away when he realized how stupidly obsessed he was with him? Logic told Steve that that was the most likely outcome. He didn’t know if he was prepared for that.

But Bucky didn’t reject him. Bucky didn’t laugh at him. Instead, Bucky just cracked a smile, a sympathetic one, and reached out. He wrapped his hand around Steve’s elbow, and tugged him closer to his side. “Yer a dumbass,” he muttered affectionately. “Why didn’ you just ask me? I’d love to spend more time with you, Stevie….”

Steve didn’t speak. He simply allowed Bucky to pull him closer to his side, until the two were flush from hip to shoulder on the dock. He leaned into Bucky’s side, allowing himself the moment to nuzzle his shoulder into his friend’s, his smile returning to his lips. “You really mean that? I mean… your friends don’t mind?” he asked, hoping for a positive answer.

Bucky scoffed. “You kiddin’ me? I never seen Brock take to someone so fast in my life! And Nat loves you! You saw how she was with you all night? You fit right in already!” He looked away from Steve, his eyes softening a bit. “Besides, if they had anythn’ bad to say about you, you know I’d stand up for ya. You’re probably…” he swallowed, keeping his eyes locked on the water. “Yer my best guy, ya know? I don’ care if it’s only been a month. I mean it.”

Steve listened, his heart in his throat as Bucky spoke; he listened to his companion pour out his heart to him, promising that he had his back no matter what. Steve didn’t give a shit that they'd only been friends for a month. To him, it felt like a lifetime’s worth of companionship between them. This… this is what it should have felt like when he first met Sharon. This is what he should have been looking for this whole time.

Had he already gone and thrown it all away? Had he missed his chance, because he was too impatient to wait for the right man to come and sweep him off his feet?

But Bucky had _said_ it. Bucky had called Zima his best girl. Steve was his best guy. That meant he cared about him, right? Like more than just a friend? It had to mean that… Steve wouldn't accept it any other way.

Deciding to go out on a limb, Steve reached out. He wrapped his arm behind the small of Bucky’s back, palm pressed flat to the wood of the dock beneath them. When he felt Bucky scoot right into the cradle of his arm, Steve leaned down, letting his temple rest on Bucky’s crown. They didn’t speak for a moment, just watching the water shimmering in front of them in a songless dance in the night. This felt perfect. This… this felt right.

This is what Steve had been looking for all his life.

“I know you mean it, Bucky,” Steve whispered. He didn’t dare speak louder than that at that moment. “I feel the same way… I think you’re my best guy too.”

A shudder ran through Bucky’s body at his words, and Steve looked down at him. Bucky didn’t look disgusted by his statement, as Steve had instantly feared. He looked pleased. It seemed, to Steve’s mind, that they had both come to terms with their friendship that night, and both of them had been well surprised with what they had discovered about each other.

Steve didn’t kiss him. As much as he wanted to, Steve didn’t feel right kissing Bucky yet. Not when he had unfinished business to take care of first. There was no way in hell he was going to kiss Bucky, when he wasn’t totally his yet. Steve would never be able to stomach that guilt. Not in a million years.

But this would do. This right here… it would have to hold him over until the hour came that Steve was a free man once again. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too late, when that hour finally arrived…

* * *

 

**SR [10:44pm]: Sharon, call me.**

 

 

**SR [10:52pm]: Shar, are you getting my texts?**

 

 

**SR [11:04pm]: Sharon, answer your texts. We need to talk about some stuff.**

 

 

**SR Calling SC [11:13pm]**

**_‘SORRY, THE MAILBOX OF Sharon Carter, IS FULL AND CANNOT RECEIVE ANY MESSAGES AT THIS TIME’_ **

 

 

**SR [11:45pm]: Sharon, where the hell are you?**

 

 

 

**SR Calling SC [11:56pm]**

**_'SORRY, THE MAILBOX OF Sharon Carter, IS FULL AND CANNOT RECEIVE ANY MESSAGES AT THIS TIME’_ **

 

 

**_SR [11:59pm]: SHARON!!!!!!_ **

 

 

**SR [12:01am]: Sharon, I think we need to rethink this wedding… Please answer your phone. There’s something we really need to talk about... [Message failed to deliver]**

 

 

**999 [Service message to sender SR, 12:02am]: SMS messages not allowed to this device.**

 

****999 [Service message to sender SR, 12:04am]: SMS messages not allowed to this device.** **

 

******999 [Service message to sender SR, 12:07am]: SMS messages not allowed to this device.** ** **

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upcoming chapter has some SERIOUS fluff in it! Be warned now! You may die from a sugar overdose! DIABEETUS WARNING AHEAD!!! I REPEAT, DIABEETUS WARNING AHEAD!!! :D


	5. As You Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Bucky rescues Steve from a hellacious day at work, he offers to buy him dinner to make up for the bad day. What he didn't expect was their meal to turn into a 7 hour date. Not that Bucky's really complaining...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one took relatively little time to update. I was just so excited to write their date that I couldn't wait. Plus I really wanted to update this story before I left for my vacation on Wednesday. I will be gone from the 7th to the 15th of October this year, so there'll be a solid week where I wont be writing anything at all. I promise I WILL come back from my trip, ready to write so I don't expect to take too long after I've returned, to update some more stories. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's incredibly cute in my opinion and several times as I was writing it, I had to stop to make myself feel a little manly again hahaha. 
> 
> Anyway, without further ado.... chapter 5 of Sprinkles!!!!
> 
> P.s. tags have been updated!!! Enjoy ;)

Bucky rolled over in bed, blinking against the bright light that filtered into his bedroom in a glaring ray of yellow annoyance. He yawned heavily and tucked his head into the blankets surrounding him for a chance to catch a few more winks of sleep. That didn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

The minute he’d settled himself deeper into the bed, he felt a mass jump up and waddle over his legs, up his torso, and then drop down next to his head to begin snuffling around where his face was buried in the sheets. A whine echoed in the room and Bucky sighed, poking his face out to see Zima standing over him, her tail wagging and tongue hanging out as she watched her master with interest.

“Whaaat....” he whined, bopping her nose with his fingers as he tried to roll back over. “No, Zima… go’way. I don’ wanna get up fer school…”

Zima whimpered, bouncing on the mattress next to his head before she lunged and tackled her fluffy body onto his face. She yapped loudly, tail wagging a mile a minute as she tried desperately to wake Bucky up and greet the day with her. And feed her. Food was very important, of course.

Bucky sighed, though a huge smile crossed his lips at his puppy’s desperate antics. He looked up at her from over the hem of his blankets, and gave her a baleful look. “Yer a needy lil’ brat aren’tcha?” he asked, scrubbing his fingers over her furry head before he sat up fully. He watched the puppy bound right off of the bed and begin spinning circles on the floor, waiting for Bucky to take her back to the kitchen for breakfast. “A’right, a’right, hang on, mutt…” he chuckled.

Rolling his shoulders, Bucky heard his joints popping as he loosened the stiffness from them and then crawled out of bed. He looked down at himself, and sighed at the state of his sleep pants. He really needed to go buy some new ones; these had holes in the crotch the size of Africa. “Better get to the store soon..” he grumbled, shuffling sleepily towards the door; as he passed by his closet, Bucky reached out automatically and flipped the switch inside, shutting off the closet light and pushing the door shut once again until it clicked into place. The bulb was burning lower than usual; he was going to have to remember to change it before he went to bed that night or he was never going to get any sleep…

Once he’d grabbed a spare lightbulb from the drawer and set it on his dresser to be changed later, Bucky slipped from the bedroom and walked to the spare room at the end of the hallway. He poked his head inside the room for a moment, grinning as he checked the interior. Good… no chaos. Just perfect. Steve was gonna be so happy when he saw this, later...

Yawning loudly, Bucky closed the spare bedroom door again and followed his pup into the kitchen, where he scooped out a cup of food for her and poured it into her bowl. He watched with a smile as the puppy pounced, chewing happily on kibble as her tail continued to wag like a sail behind her, faster than he thought possible for such a little puppy. “Yer gonna get so fat, you know that, Zim?” he asked, running his fingers up and down her back.

Zima didn’t even look up from her bowl.

Bucky chuckled, running his hand over his face; he flinched and hissed when his finger bumped his lower lip, and he sighed to himself. “Ow?” he grumbled, climbing back to his feet and slipping into the bathroom to check on his newest addition. The day before, Bucky had decided on a whim to go and get his lower lip pierced; he didn’t really know why, other than the fact that Steve really seemed to like his other piercings. After the two had hashed out Steve’s foolishness over the car-battery two nights ago, the duo had lapsed right back into comfortable conversation like nothing had ever happened; somehow during their talk, Steve had gotten on the subject of asking Bucky how long it had taken him to get his ears pierced and stretched to the point they were, and if he had any more piercings that he didn’t know of. Imagine Steve’s surprise (and not so subtle interest) when Bucky had actually lifted his t-shirt to show him the tiny little barbell in the top of his navel. Bucky admitted that a belly button piercing had not been his brightest idea, but Steve really seemed to like it a lot.

So Steve had a piercing fetish. Interesting.

After that, the two of them had stayed out long into the night, until Bucky had finally frogmarched Steve home at almost 3 in the morning, telling him he had to get up for work in 3 hours and to ‘get some damn sleep, you moron!’. Needless to say, Bucky didn’t forget about Steve’s interest in his piercings. When he woke the next morning, Bucky had gone right to his home tattoo parlour, and gotten himself a lower lip piercing, adorning his mouth with a dainty silver hoop just for Steve to enjoy.

Still thinking about that night, Bucky examined his lower lip carefully, checking for any sort of infection he might have contracted. “Nah... “ he grumbled, looking at his slightly puffy lower lip. “Ain’t infected…” Still, he grabbed the saline wash and gave the piercing a rinse for good measure; at least it wasn’t going to get dirty at work. It wasn’t normal that Bucky had two days off in a row, but Natasha had called him late the night before and told him to stay home, get some extra R&R and to report back to work on Saturday or else she’d have his hide for breakfast. No, Bucky didn’t often get Fridays off, but for damn certain, was he going to relish it as much as he could.

After fixing himself a breakfast of eggs and toast, Bucky slumped onto his couch with his food and flipped on the TV, sipping a cup of coffee as he watched the morning news with faint disinterest. Zima had definitely woken him up good; there was no way he was getting back to sleep anytime soon, so might as well catch up on current affairs, no? Casting the dog a narrow-eyed gaze, Bucky pointed at the content puppy. “Thanks fer wakin’ me up in time fer the 7o’clock news, dog. You know how much more sleep I coulda gotten? At least three more hours. But nooo, you had to be a fatass,” he grumbled.

Zima just yipped at him and crawled into his lap for cuddles, pushing his plate aside and licking his chin as she snuggled up to his chest for comfort. Bucky melted, putting his food down so he could properly snuggle the little tyke; how could he stay pretend-mad at such a cute little face?

Turning his attention back to the television, Bucky boredly flipped through the channels and finished his meal in relative silence. Once he’d finished and the news program had changed to some campy, Friday morning kid’s cartoon, Bucky decided he’d best take a shower. Granted, he hadn’t really done anything to warrant such a pressing need for a bath, but he couldn’t stand the feeling of night sweat on his skin. If there was one thing Bucky hated, it was feeling like filth. Hell, he worked around motor oil and sweat all day, every day; he liked to feel clean when he could. Sure, people may have made fun of him for his tattoos and piercings and called him childish sometimes, but Bucky took great pride in his hygiene. At least he could say that he had that over some other people in this world.

After he’d showered and shaved, cleaned his new piercing a second time, and then dressed in his favorite jeans and a gray button up, Bucky grabbed Zima’s leash off the hook and whistled for her to heel-up. He wanted to make sure he’d given her a little walk around the block before the sun got any higher in the sky. Besides, he needed to head out and get some actual groceries in his apartment; Bucky had definitely taken Brock’s advice to heart, and started keeping his refrigerator stocked with food. It certainly came in handy for those days he wanted to spend his lunch money on cigarettes instead of food...

With his puppy leashed and his sunglasses perched on his nose, Bucky walked the dog outside to the sidewalk beyond his apartment building; he gave the clear-blue sky a wistful smile as he plucked out a cigarette from his pack and lit up for his first smoke of the day. After he'd done that, Bucky quickly pulled his hair back from his neck with a hair tie, feeling the prickle of heat against his skin already. It was only 9 o’clock, but Bucky could tell it was going to be another scorcher that day. “C’mon, Zim. Let’s go,” he said, patting his thigh to make sure he had his plastic bag for Zima’s doggy business.

Bucky liked these quiet mornings; just he and his dog, taking a leisurely stroll down the block towards the park nearby. The routine was always the same; he’d let Zima run for a few minutes to expel some energy, let her do her business, and then walk her home where he’d give her a rousing wrestling match in the living room until she fell asleep in exhaustion on her doggy bed. This day was no exception as his morning certainly went according to plan. By the time he had the dog passed out on her pillow, it was only 11 am. Now he had the rest of the day to get his grocery shopping done, tidy up his apartment a bit, and play some video games to relax the day away.

Oh, and visit Steve, of course. He’d never forget his visit with Steve.

Leaving the dog to sleep on her little pillow, Bucky slipped from the apartment again, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows as the sun beat down on his head in brutal waves. He briefly considered running inside to grab his hat, but he was already running a little late; he had intended on spending a few hours with Steve that day, and help the poor guy pass the time. Bucky knew Steve’s business was nowhere near suffering for money, but he couldn’t imagine how bored Steve got, standing alone in that shop every day. He definitely wanted to make sure Steve was well entertained as often as he possibly could.

Plus he wanted to show him his new piercing; it’d definitely be the highlight of his day to see Steve get such a rise out of a fresh spot of metal.

Lighting up a second cigarette, Bucky began the brief walk that would take him to Henderson Street, the quiet little road that stretched between their respective shops. It would only take him ten minutes, tops, to get to Steve’s store. Maybe he could go get him coffee or take him out to lunch that day. Lord knew, Steve deserved every ounce of coddling Bucky could give him. Bucky smiled to himself as he thought of his friend and crush, and a happy shiver ran up his spine. He vividly remembered the night before last, and how warm Steve had been when he’d cuddled up to him; Christ, Steve was like a Goddamn furnace. Bucky had an insane thought of how warm he’d be during the winter, cuddled up to his side while they both slept, and with Brock’s seemingly accurate reading on Steve, perhaps that could become a reality really soon… ‘ _I wonder when it’s safe to ask him out… I’m dyin’ already!’_  Bucky thought to himself eagerly. Steve certainly didn’t seem adverse to spending more time with himself. He’d fucking broken his own car just to get his attention!

Grinning to himself, Bucky turned the corner onto Henderson, his eyes immediately darting to where he knew Steve’s happily painted store sign stood out against the plain brick building behind it. But when he looked to the shop, Bucky saw a line of people congregated outside of the store. That was odd; Steve’s store was never this busy. For a brief moment, Bucky wondered if Steve hadn’t shown up at all that day and a rush of worry filled him; had something happened to Steve that he’d no-showed at his own store? Fuck, he hoped not.

But as he drew closer, Bucky saw two people exit the shop, carrying boxes in their hands, and two more people file in, looking eager to step out of the heatwave that burned around them all. _‘Okay… store’s open….’_ Bucky thought to himself, jogging down the block a little quicker. The closer he got to the store, the better he could see the people’s faces, and none of them looked too happy to be standing outside the shop in the sun. As he approached the building, Bucky actually saw two people at the back of the line step away and storm off, cursing loudly at the ‘lousy business’ before leaving the store behind.

Instantly, a protective instinct filled him at the rude customers, and Bucky ran up to the door; shit, if he thought it was bad outside the store, it was worse inside. The whole lobby of the shop was filled with people and they were all starting to get irritated, yelling at Steve to hurry up with their orders. Behind the counter, Steve looked like a mess, rushing as fast as he could to fill requests, ring up customers, and then return to the custom work he was attempting to finish, all at once. Steve looked absolutely frazzled, and he winced visibly when the woman he was attempting to help yelled at him for using the wrong color for her daughter’s cake icing. What the hell was going on?

“HEY BUDDY, HURRY UP WE GOT LIVES OUT HERE!” one customer shouted angrily. This started a barrage of shouting from customers as a second one piped up, waving a flyer in her hand as she glowered at the exhausted shop owner.

“I got a birthday party I’m supposed to be at in ten minutes!”

“This isn’t the design I wanted! Redo it!”

“Can’t you work any faster? It’s just cake!’

“Where’s your help?! This ain’t a way to run a business!’

“HURRY UP, MAN!!”

“EVERYONE, PLEASE!” Steve finally snapped, holding his arms out to them as he tried to get the crowd to calm down. “I’M DOING THE BEST I CAN. I NEED YOU ALL TO PLEASE MAKE A SINGLE FILE LINE, I CAN’T WORK ANY FASTER THAN THIS!”

Bucky flinched, leaning back in surprise as he watched Steve’s frantic outburst; he’d never truly seen Steve look quite as upset as he did now, but watching Steve actually snap at people… it was sobering. Steve was struggling and on the verge of breaking down in front of these people, and none of those assholes cared enough to see that.

On the verge of angry himself, Bucky began to push his way into the shop, only to feel a hand land on his elbow and stop him. He turned and saw the man that had started the angry tirade against Steve glaring down at him, and he set his jaw in irritation.

“Hey, Pincushion, where the fuck you think you’re goin’?! the back of the line is that way! Some of us got kids’ parties we gotta be at right now!” he growled, tightening his grip on Bucky’s elbow.

Bucky glared up at him, wrenching his arm out of his grip. “Well maybe ya shouldn’a waited until the last fuckin’ minute t’get yer damn cake then huh!?” Bucky snapped back at him, glaring him down as he backed the man up with an angry gleam in his eye. “Step off! I know the owner!”

Without waiting for a response, Bucky pushed into the store, worming his way up towards the counter where he saw Steve frantically punching in an override code into the register as he filled his current customer’s order. “Steve! Th’hell happened, man?!” Bucky asked, slipping behind the counter to get out of the way of the customers.

“Shit!” Steve gasped under his breath, motioning for the next customer to come up to the counter. “It’s been like this since I opened! Tony accidentally printed a sale’s ad we decided against last month! I’ve been ringing overrides into the register all day. I have no idea if this is going to throw off my business for the day or not, but I can’t do anything about it!” Steve exclaimed; he looked up at Bucky, his eyes glossy and cheeks red with irritation. His hair stuck up in wild spikes from running his fingers through it repeatedly, and his knuckles were chapped from washing his hands so often. Hell, even his t-shirt was rumpled from the apron tied around it too tightly, and his front was splattered with droplets of frosting and sugar. Up close, he _really_ looked like a mess.

“Can’t Tony come in and help?” Bucky asked, looking stunned as he watched the crowd rustling in agitation in front of them.

“No, he’s got his own business he runs. I’m literally by myself!” Steve turned away from Bucky, rushing over to the counter to grab his piping bags and icing spatula to begin another custom design for a spoiled little kid that demanded Steve’s attention at that moment.

Bucky watched in horror as the crowd continued to get irritated, now slowed down further by the intricate design the kid demanded. This wasn’t right. Steve shouldn’t have to suffer like this. Making his mind up quickly, Bucky darted from behind the counter and filtered through the crowd back outside until he wasn’t being jabbed in the ribs with elbows anymore. He ran across the street to the garage, straight to Clint’s office, and burst into the door without knocking.

“Clint! We still got that Square mobile reader!?” Bucky exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at his surprised friend.

Clint looked up from his desk, taken by surprise by Bucky’s sudden arrival, and he spluttered. “W-what?” The credit card reader?” He asked, turning for his drawer. “Yeah we still got it. Why?”

“You see that line out there!? Steve’s been strugglin’ all damn day and ain’t none of them givin’ him a break!” Bucky said, sounding just as upset as he was sure Steve was feeling. He reached out and snatched the card reader from Clint’s hand.

“Whoa! I saw that line this morning. It hasn’t gone down?” Clint asked, his face a mask of concern as he shooed his friend out of the office. “Go, go! Go help him out!”

“Not at all.” Bucky said, turning for the door and waving over his shoulder at Clint. “Thanks! I owe ya one!”

“Ya owe me a lot, Buck! I’ll just keep a rolling tab!” Clint shouted after him, sounding just slightly amused as Bucky ran out of the garage and back across the street once again.

Bucky wormed into the shop and squeezed his way up to the counter. Just as he did, Steve handed off the cake to the same kid he’d been working with when Bucky left, and tiredly shoved the money into the drawer before moving to motion for the next customer. “Whoa! Hang on!” Bucky said, putting his hand on Steve’s elbow. He pulled the tired blond from the register and looked up at him with worry in his eyes. “Here. You got a Paypal hooked up fer the business right?” Bucky asked, holding the card reader up in his palm. “Gimme yer phone.”

“Yeah?” Steve breathed, sounding absolutely exhausted as he handed his phone over to Bucky with a confused look on his face. “Bucky what are you doing?”

“M’helpin’ you,” Bucky replied simply. He plugged the device into Steve’s phone and quickly installed the app before pulling up the sign-in screen. “Go! Go in the back, log yerself in and take a fuckin’ minute to breathe. I got this.”

Steve stared at Bucky for a moment, holding his phone as he tried to come up with a protest. “Bucky.. what I can’t-”

Before Steve could finish his sentence, Bucky jumped up on the seat of a chair, and stuck two fingers into his mouth to utter a sharp whistle. The whole shop went quiet as the customers looked up at Bucky in confusion. Bucky held his hands out to them. “EVERYBODY! EYES ON ME!” Bucky waited as the last of the chatter died down, and then continued. “EVERYONE NEEDS TO STEP BACK OUTSIDE AND GET INTO AN ORDERLY LINE, YA HEAR? PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT THE SALE CAKES, LINE UP TO TH’ LEFT OF THE DOOR. EVERYONE WHO WANTS THEIR CUSTOM CAKE, LINE UP TO TH’ RIGHT!” Bucky gestured to the door, giving them all a stern look. To his right, Steve stared up at him with a mixture of awe and gratitude on his face. “LET’S NOT KILL THE BAKER, OKAY? OUTSIDE, I SWEAR WE’RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF YOU!”

“Do you even work here?” A customer asked, sounding surprised. Behind her, everyone began to file out of the shop, getting into their respective lines,and waiting a little more patiently now that they knew they had some form of order to go off of.

Bucky looked down at the woman who spoke, and he grinned. “I do now. C’MON Everyone, chop chop! Zipper merging, folks!”

Jumping down from the chair, Bucky grabbed a spare apron from behind the counter, and looked up to see Steve still staring at him like he was an angel sent down from heaven at that moment. “Bucky…”

“Hey. What’d I say? Go take a minute. Get a drink. Take a leak. Go log in with yer bank, and then come back up here. I got the premade stuff.” Buck flashed him a smile and stepped up to the register. “I worked with registers before, I know how they work. An’ I been here enough I know what everythin’ is and how much they cost. I told you I got this.”

Steve didn’t say anything; he simply stared at Bucky for a long moment before slumping into the back of the bakery, leaving Bucky alone up front. Washing his hands in the little sink at the back counter, Bucky turned and began to take the orders of the standard cakes for the left side-line, boxing up dozens of cakes with ease. It took him a minute to figure out how to code in the sale amounts, but once he’d gotten the hang of it, he had the left line flying within five minutes, thanking everyone for being so patient with him, and reassuring them the baker would be back soon.

“Hey!” one young girl piped up, looking annoyed as she watched Bucky boxing up a dozen chocolate rose cakes for his current customer. “I thought you said he was doing custom cakes too!”

Bucky lowered his hands, staring at the smug teenager for a moment before he leaned over the counter. “I don’ officially work here, kid, so lemme just tell ya this. That man’s been runnin’ himself ragged for the past coupla hours. Give him a minute to take a breather before he keels over. You don’t need a cupcake that damn badly. You can wait five minutes.”

The customer in front of Bucky snorted in laughter as he carried his dozen cakes outside. It was true. It seemed that the majority of the customers were actually there for the sale cakes and only a portion of the customers in the massive throng had been there for their custom orders. Bucky realized the reason the crowd had gotten so badly backed up was because most of the wait had been the custom order customers pushing their way to the front and demanding their orders first. Well, no more; like hell was Bucky gonna let a bunch of preppy-ass, entitled kids rule the shop while he was on the clock.

Luckily, the girl seemed to take his words to heart and she lowered her gaze to the counter, properly chastised for her behavior. Feeling accomplished, Bucky continued to field the line, working double time until he ran out of bakery boxes at his disposal. Running to the back, Bucky grabbed a bundle of boxes from the shelf and then went to the fridge, where he grabbed several plastic containers of cupcakes; balancing them in his arms, Bucky turned to head back out to the front of the shop, until his eyes landed on Steve. He paused, giving his friend a sorry look.

Steve was hunched over in a chair outside his office, holding the back of his neck in his palms as he stared at the floor in exhaustion; the poor guy looked absolutely miserable.

“Hey… You okay?” Bucky asked, his voice low and soothing.

Steve shook his head for a moment, before inhaling and then nodding in turn. “Yeah… I’m fine.” he muttered. Bucky knew better; he certainly didn’t sound fine.

Bucky stepped up to him, looking down at his friend before he offered him a small smile. “You think yer ready to go back out there? I got the most of the customers. You just take care of the customs, okay? Use the card reader and if they pay with cash you send ‘em over to me, a’right? We’re gonna get through this, I promise. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Steve didn’t move for a split-second; after a beat, he looked up at Bucky, his eyes wide and awed as he stared at him. “Why the hell are you so perfect?” he asked, flashing him a tired smile.

“S’one of my many charms, I guess.” Bucky shrugged, before stepping out to the door that would take him to the front of the shop. “Come out when yer ready.”

Bucky slipped back behind the counter and picked up where he left off, running through the line with careful, laser precision as he fielded the masses carefully. A couple of minutes later, he looked up to see Steve slip out from the back and take his station at the secondary counter, flashing Bucky a weak smile as he apologized to the girl for making her wait and began working on her cupcake.

Bucky felt his heart squeeze with warmth, both in pity for his friend and satisfaction that he could help him when he needed it the most. Honestly, that’s all Bucky could imagine himself living for in that moment. He’d do a lot for people, especially his friends. But he’d do _anything_ for Steve if he could help it. And that was just the way it was going to be.

* * *

 

The sun was low beneath the outline of the city by the time Steve flipped the open sign over and locked the door of the shop. With a tired huff, he leaned his forehead against the door, propped up by the glass for a long moment as he allowed himself time to recover from the harrowing day the two of them had been put through.

Bucky stood behind the counter, cleaning off splatters of icing and sugar from the marble top with a wet towel as he watched Steve leaning against the door for support; a crooked smile crossed his lips as he looked at the man across from him, and he felt a sliver of residual worry in his gut at the sight of his exhaustion. If he was a little tired after the rush they had taken care of the entire day, he couldn’t imagine how Steve felt.

It had nearly been nonstop since Bucky had arrived at the shop, and they were definitely feeling burnt out from the rush. However, Bucky had fared quite a bit better than Steve; after all, he worked with heavy objects every day for 10 hours. While this had been a little grueling with the sheer number of people he had had to deal with, the work load had been easy. Steve had definitely had it a little harder, trying to churn out unique custom cakes for those that requested it. Needless to say, Bucky felt pretty bad for his friend.

“Hey, you okay?” Bucky asked, putting the towel down and slipping around the counter. He stepped up to Steve’s side, putting his hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “Steve?”

Steve looked up from the glass and stared at his friend for a moment; without warning, he threw his arms around Bucky’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug as he clinged to him like his life depended on it.

Bucky was startled; he stared at the far wall for a moment as he wrapped his mind around the fact that Steve was honest to God _hugging_ him like it was the last thing he’d ever do. He felt the warmth wiggling its way back into his chest again and he beamed brightly, wrapping his own arms around Steve’s back. “What’s this for?” he asked, pressing his chin to Steve’s shoulder.

“You…” Steve paused, shaking his head as he hugged him tighter to his chest. “You’re just amazing. Thank you… thank you so much for helping me! You have no idea how much… How.. I can’t…!”

“Whoa, slow down,” Bucky chuckled; he leaned back and smirked up at him. “Ain’t nothin, Stevie. I’m just glad I found ya when I did. I’m pretty sure you’da been dead if I’d showed up an hour later.” Bucky paused, looking at Steve long and hard. “You sure you’re okay? You look dead on yer feet.”

Steve shook his head and offered a tired smile. “I’m exhausted, but… I’m fine. I honestly thought all the overrides were gonna screw up my banking, but we made a shit load of money today,” he laughed. But as he looked at Bucky, he really got a good glimpse of his face for the first time that day, and his eyes widened. “You got a new piercing!”

Bucky licked his lower lip and felt the little silver ring in his lip. It had long since stopped hurting, which meant he’d just bitten it in his sleep by accident. Now the puffiness had gone down completely,and it felt just right in his mouth. Good. “Yeah, got it yesterday. Thought I could do with a few more bits of metal in my head,” he said, shrugging slightly. He reached up and wiped a speck of powdered sugar from Steve’s glasses before grinning. “I’m not surprised y’didn’t see it until now. Yer glasses are filthy!”

Steve laughed and shoved Bucky’s shoulder slightly. “That’s mean of you! Pardon me for not being clean! Besides, you’ve got chocolate on your face.”

Bucky blinked, reaching up to touch his cheek. He didn’t think he’d touched his face at all that day… “Where?”

Before he could react, Bucky saw Steve run his finger through a dollop of chocolate icing on his own apron and then smear the dark glop across Bucky’s right cheek. “Right there.”

Bucky gasped, scandalized by Steve’s action, and he stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. “How could you do that?! I saved yer life, you dick!”

Steve laughed harder, leaning his shoulder against the door as he watched Bucky’s offended face. “Oh come on it’s funny. I can’t believe you fell for it!”

“Yer mean!” Bucky shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. “And t’think I was gonna offer to buy you dinner tonight cause you looked so tired. Nope, not happenin’ now!”

Steve looked up at him, his eyes sparkling with hope as he stood upright. “Really? You were gonna buy me dinner?” he asked; his voice hedged on excited for a moment, and the tone definitely caught Bucky’s attention.

Bucky smirked, looking up at his friend before he wiped his hand along his cheek to clean the chocolate from his face. “If yer up for it. We can go out, or I can just have food delivered to my place if y’want.” Bucky shrugged, untying the apron from around his waist and balling it up to toss it into the hamper in the back. “S’up to you.”

Steve beamed at him, nodding his head as he plucked his own apron from his waist and cleaned his glasses off on it as best as he could. “Your place sounds good! I can walk you home this time, since you already know where I live. Which, thanks by the way for walking me back to my apartment the other night. I think my cut off is 10 beers, to be honest…”

“Ohh yer such a gentleman,” Bucky cooed, planting his hands on his waist as he smiled up at Steve. “A’right, my place it is then! I gotta give ya somethin’ anyway,” Bucky said, walking his apron over to the hamper and tossing it inside with a flick of his wrist. “Y’can clean up there, too, if y’want. I think I might have a t-shirt that’ll fit yer shoulders.” Bucky reached out and plucked a Steve’s t-shirt, indicating the definite frosting stains on its front. “This one’s a little ruined, but I can try t’get the stains out for ya if you want.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll borrow the shirt so I don’t get sugar everywhere in your place, but I know how to clean this stuff up,” Steve replied, his cheeks flushing a little pink. Bucky loved it when Steve blushed. “Lemme just lock up the shop and we can go.”

“Alright, Stevie.”

The two of them worked together to tidy up the place, and then locked up behind themselves. By the time the two had slipped out of the shop, the streets were cast in twilight, and the air had significantly cooled off from the earlier heatwave. Bucky stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked side by side with Steve; he occasionally bumped shoulders with the other man, which caused the two of them to begin jostling each other back and forth as they laughed. “So how come Tony put up that ad when y’two decided against it?” Bucky asked, looking up at Steve as they walked.

Steve shrugged, his brow furrowing slightly as he walked. “I dunno… I’m gonna say it was an accident, but I’m still gonna kill him. I’m gonna have to work double time to bake some stuff up tomorrow when I get in in the morning just to make up for everything we sold. At least the profits will look good for the week.” Steve finished his statement, leveling Bucky with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “But if you see a head hanging from the sign tomorrow morning, just know I disappeared to a safe house in Oregon and my name is now Jack.”

Bucky laughed, tossing his head back as he huffed out nearly breathless laughter. Speaking of breathless, he seriously needed a smoke. “Oh God, I’ll try to keep it a secret. The cops ain’t gettin’ nothin’ outta me.” Bucky replied, plucking out a cigarette from the pack and lighting up to take a drag on the nicotine he needed so badly.

They fell silent again, the two of them turning the corner off of Henderson as they made the walk down to Bucky’s brownstone. Steve spoke up this time, looking down at Bucky. “So how come you weren’t workin’ today? Don’t you normally work Fridays?”

“Yeah, normally I do,” Bucky replied; he kicked a pebble down the sidewalk and watched it bounce along the concrete before falling into a crevice where it would rest for good. “Sometimes I forget t’take days off from work… so Nat kicked me out and tol’ me if I came into work at all, she was gonna kill me.” he looked up at Steve, and snickered. “Don’ tell her I helped ya out today, okay? She might rupture a blood vessel.”

“You don’t ever take days off?” Steve asked, looking a little surprised.

“Nah, not unless I absolutely have to.”

“How come?” Steve prodded further, looking a little bothered by the notion.

Bucky shrugged again, digging his hands further into his pockets. Truthfully, he couldn’t really pinpoint when he’d gotten so obsessed with work, but the mental image of Alex Pierce came to him, and he bit his tongue slightly. He couldn’t remember the exact time he started working obsessively, but it had definitely been after he and Alex had broken up. “... No reason. Just keeps the mind goin’ ya know? Don’t have t’think about nothin’ but work.” Bucky finally answered, dragging on the cigarette until a hefty cloud of smoke formed in front of him. He tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stamped it out, before looking up at his building. “Here we are.”

Bucky watched Steve tear his gaze away from himself and level it on the building. It wasn’t exactly fancy; it was just like any other apartment building on this block, but Bucky couldn’t believe how intently Steve stared at it for the moment. “Nice place,” Steve finally answered, grinning at him as he followed Bucky up the steps.

Bucky shrugged again, wishing he could do something else with his shoulders, and then looked back at his friend. “It ain’t nothin’ fancy, but thanks. I like to think my apartment’s nice though,” he added, unlocking the door and letting the two of them inside. They took the stairs up to his floor, and slipped into his apartment. He paused as he watched Steve take in his surroundings with awe on his features. Bucky loved his apartment; he’d taken up an anthropologie theme to his place, decorating the walls with dark woods and eccentric artwork. He had comic books and records framed on the walls, colored sashes hanging from the rafters above their heads, and lamps that looked like they had been cobbled together from fancy bits of metal, glass and wood. The furniture was just as dark as the walls, giving the place a warm, well-lived in touch that just made Bucky feel cosy and safe.

The kitchen and the bedroom boasted similar decorating themes; the kitchen, while small, was decked out in similar earthy tones, and the cupboards stood out against the pale walls in eccentric dark patterns. His bed was framed with wooden beams, a dark red and gold comforter draped over the bedding, and the place was teeming with drift wood accents and artistic flare. But what Bucky loved the most about his apartment was the bright little white Christmas lights he had draped all along the ceilings. It was a warm, soothing light that filled the room around them, making them both feel right at home in this little haven away from the normal world around him. Bucky knew, as an artist, Steve must have definitely appreciated the theme around him.

Feeling satisfied, Bucky kicked off his shoes at the door, and then turned to head into his bedroom to grab Steve a t-shirt and himself a clean one as well. “Whatdya like fer food? There’s a Chinese place down the road that delivers that has amazin’ potstickers!”

“Chinese sounds good to me,” Steve called back to Bucky, and the brunet smiled to himself as he slipped on a t-shirt over his torso. He grabbed his old Pink Floyd t-shirt from the drawer and held it up. He’d worn this thing so many times, it had stretched out of its usefulness. It even had a hole in the armpit. But it looked like it would at least fit Steve’s shoulders, just as he thought. _‘Too bad I don’ get to see him topless…’_ Bucky thought to himself as he shouldered the shirt and left his room. He paused in the hallway, casting a look at the spare room door for a moment, before his grin returned to him. Oh he couldn’t wait to see Steve’s reaction...

“Here.” Bucky said, entering the living room again. He saw Steve knelt on the floor, roughing his hands up and down Zima’s belly as the puppy lay beneath him soaking up his attention, and he fought back a laugh. Bucky handed Steve the t-shirt once he’d gotten his attention and stepped back, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets again. “Sorry fer the hole in the’ armpit. I didn’ think I had any other shirts that might fit ya.”

“It’s okay, I appreciate it.” Steve said, taking the t-shirt.

Bucky didn’t expect what happened next. Seemingly not thinking about it, Steve suddenly whipped his own, dirty t-shirt off, and folded it inside out. He set it on the table next to him to stand gloriously topless in front of Bucky as he unfolded the clean t-shirt in his hands and began to shrug into the thin cloth with a well-versed grace.

Bucky blinked, feeling his face turning bright red as he tried not to stare at him like a letch. Holy… holy shit, Steve was _ripped_. Every inch on his torso was spotless, smooth and perfect and the only hint of hair on him was the tiger line that ran from just below his navel to under the tops of his jeans. Bucky could actually feel himself begin to salivate as he stared at Steve’s torso, drinking in the sight of him until he had to tear his gaze away. Shit, he had to get himself together. _‘I spoke too soon. Don’t pop a fuckin’ boner, Barnes… don’ you fuckin’ do it…’_ he cursed himself, fussing with the ponytail at the back of his head just to give himself something to do. “So uhm… Dumplings and noodles tonight?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t crack at all as he spoke. It almost worked.

He heard the swish of fabric and looked up to see Steve had just slipped the t-shirt on over his torso. Luckily, it did fit, though it pulled a little across Steve’s chest. Bucky couldn't say he minded the view at all. “Sure sounds good for me.” Steve said, his eyes darting down to Bucky’s chest for a moment. It was only a brief moment, before he was looking up at Bucky again. “Soo…”

Oh right! Duh! He was supposed to give Steve something!

“Right! Right, sorry!” Bucky said, grabbing his phone from his pocket and pulled up the number he had programmed into his phone for delivery. “Sorry, just… lemme put in the order. I’ll go get that… thing for ya. Just sit down and make yerself comfy.”

“What exactly are you giving me?” Steve asked, sounding a little confused. He did as he was told, regardless, and sat down on Bucky’s sofa.

Bucky stifled a snort as he watched Steve sink into the overly plush cushions with a yelp. “Sorry! Shoulda warned ya, that couch is a deathtrap. Great fer sleepin’ on though,” Bucky laughed. He gestured to the hallway. “It’s… I think yer gonna like it. Y’mentioned before you wished ya had one, so… figured I’d fix that for ya.”

He disappeared down the hallway for the third time, and slipped into the spare bedroom. It only took him a second to collect his gift for Steve, and he hid it behind his back as he tiptoed out from the bedroom and down the hall. He peeked into the living room, only to see that Steve was happily preoccupied with petting Zima from his spot on the squishy sofa. The puppy had jumped up into his lap, and the two were enjoying some much needed loving. Steve was laughing happily as Zima licked his face all over, knocking his glasses from his face as he scrubbed his hands over her fur with delight. Bucky couldn’t stifle the rush of excitement he felt as he listened to Steve baby-talk the puppy in his lap, and he held back a little whine of happiness as he watched the two of them interacting.

He didn’t speak as he slipped back into the living room, keeping his hands behind his back. He barely even announced himself as he stepped up to Steve’s side. When Steve finally looked up at him, ready to say something about how cute Zima was being that day, Bucky beat him to the punch and settled the gift into Steve’s outstretched hands.

Bucky wasn’t sure who was more surprised: Steve, or the kitten that had been so unceremoniously placed into large, gentle hands.

Steve stared at the kitten that had been dropped into his grip, his mouth hanging open as he tried to come to terms with what he was holding. In his palms, the kitten sat mewling happily at the sight of a new face. The kitten was small, so tiny in fact it could sit comfortably in one of Steve’s palms without risk of falling out. The kitten was mostly white, with a small smattering of ginger and black marks on its head and just above its left eye. It had a fluffy black tail and its ears were cropped. Sitting in Steve’s palms, the kitten looked up from his hands and uttered the tiniest mew it could utter, before leaning down to lick his palm happily.

“Bu… Bucky…? Why are you giving me a cat?” Steve asked, his eyes bugging out of his face as he looked up at his friend in shock. Even in his state of surprise, instincts took over as he lifted the kitten up and held it to his chest. The tiny thing curled right into his left pectoral, snuggling into his chest for warmth. “Are you seriously… giving _me…_ a cat?”

Bucky snickered,  sitting down and resting his head in his palm as he pressed his elbow into the back of the sofa to watch the two of them. “Uh yeah? What else did ya think I was gonna do with ‘im, put ‘im in the pound? No way.” He reached out and scrubbed his index fingertip over the kitten’s head, listening with delight as the tiny fluffball began to purr surprisingly loudly, almost like a motorboat as he nuzzled into Bucky’s hand.

Steve was still in shock. He stared down at the kitten in his arms, as if he were unsure of what to do with him for the briefest  of moments. After a minute, Steve lifted his free hand and began to pet the kitten, watching with fascination as the kitten bumped his head into his palm and purred even harder. “I can’t…. I can’t believe you got me a cat!”

Bucky shook his head, leaning in. “I didn’ go and buy him, just so ya know. Scottish Folds are expensive.” He shook his head and leaned back into the sofa. “Nah. I rescued ‘im. Yesterday afternoon, I heard ‘im mewling outside my window. When I went outside, I found ‘im in the dirt, all muddy and tired lookin’ and just miserable. So I brought  ‘im in and washed ‘im up, fed him some lunch meat and water and he perked right up.” Bucky paused and shot his puppy a look. “Then Zima tried t’turn ‘em into a chewtoy. He ain’t big enough t’live here with me and Zima yet… so instead of takin’ ‘im to the pound where he might not ever find a home…” he looked up at Steve, and smirked. “I figured he’d be better off keepin’ an eye on you when yer lonely. I think I remember you sayin’ somethin’ about wishin’ you had a pet? Well…” Bucky leaned back, smiling wistfully at the two of them. “I think he’s gonna take real good care of you, Stevie…”

Bucky waited, watching Steve’s expression morph from shocked to surprised, to touched, and his eyes begin to shine in the light. Steve looked away from Bucky, back down to the kitten in his arms, and he laughed; the sound was a little watery, but Bucky wasn’t going to comment on that.

“You’re amazing!” Steve said, looking up at Bucky with adoration in his eyes. “I can’t… I dunno how to thank you for this!”

Bucky shook his head, and grinned. “Ain’t nothin’, Stevie…” Bucky muttered, too busy watching the two of the interact to really speak up. “He already got his shots, and a check up. He’s almost perfect… the vet found scar tissue inside his left ear though, so… he’s deaf in his left ear. Otherwise, he’s ain’t half bad for a stray.”

“He’s perfect,” Steve corrected him, looking up at Bucky before he leaned in. He wrapped his arm around Bucky’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug. “Thank you…”

Bucky felt his cheeks flushing red again and he beamed in delight, wrapping his arm around Steve as best as he could without crushing the kitten. It didn’t seem to do the trick, as the kitten began to mewl sadly at being squished between them. Bucky leaned back, scrubbing his hands through his hair as he watched the kitten settle back into Steve’s chest. “Lemme go order that food before I forget again.”

Extracting himself from the sofa, Bucky slipped into the kitchen and pulled out his phone, calling in an order of potstickers and noodles, with a side of rangoons. He grabbed two plates from the cupboard and some forks and chopsticks, unsure of which one Steve would be using, and he set them on the table. With the order coming in ten minutes, he slipped back into the living room, only to see Steve staring at him again as he walked in.

Or more accurately, his shirt.

“What?” Bucky asked, looking down at his shirt. “What’re you lookin’ at?”

Steve frowned, tilting his head to the side. “I’m trying to figure out what the heck your shirt means,” he finally said, as he looked up at Bucky with confusion on his face. “Why is there a giant rat on your shirt? What is Rous and why doesn’t it exist?”

Bucky looked down at his shirt, and he burst into laughter. “OH! R.O.U.S. Rodents Of Unusual Size!” Bucky trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt himself blushing. God, he hated admitting it to people who didn’t know him; most he told, laughed at him for this. “It’s…” He didn’t know if Steve would laugh, but... he trusted him. Steve wouldn’t make fun of him for this… at least he was pretty sure he wouldn’t. “It’s from my favorite movie…”

Steve blinked, tilting his head. “What movie?”

Bucky’s eyes snapped up to Steve’s face as he stared at him surprise. “You… You don’t know this movie?” he asked, staring at him in shock. “You don’t know what the Princess Bride is?”

Steve flushed pink, looking down at the kitten still curled up in his lap; he offered a weak shake of his head and looked up at Bucky with that same, chided expression. “No? I’ve never seen it.”

Bucky stared at him; the golden light of opportunity shone right down on Steve at that moment, and Bucky felt a surge of excitement in his chest. _‘Hell… yes,’_ he thought to himself. He couldn’t hide the grin that danced across his features, and he immediately darted over to his movie cabinet to grab his prized film. “Aw fuck, do I have a surprise for you then,” Bucky exclaimed, flashing Steve a knowing look as he knelt on the floor. “D’you like swordfights, torture plots, villains, princesses and rogues falling in love, and campy 1980’s cheese?”

Steve stared at Bucky, his eyes widening with each article Bucky listed off; when he’d finished his question, the smile that crossed Steve’s expression only matched Bucky’s. “Oh my God, it’s one of those?” he asked, sounding far too eager to get to experience this film.

“Uh huh. That and more. Plus Westley…” Bucky fluttered his eyelashes and sighed a dreamy sigh; he placed his palms over his heart in a swooning gesture. “Westley is stupid handsome. Ev’ry girl out there wants t’date ‘im. Fuck, I’d date ‘im.” Bucky paused, leaning over to wink at Steve and wiggle his eyebrow at him. “Plus he’s got nice lips… if ya know what I mean.”

Steve coughed loudly, his knee jerking and tossing the kitten just slightly in his lap as he choked on his own tongue. Bucky barked out a laugh at his friend’s blushing face, his hands resting on his knees as he watched Steve get a grip on himself. “Bucky! Not in front of the babies!” Steve gasped, covering his palm over the kitten’s tiny ears.

Bucky snorted, standing from his spot as he walked the DVD over to the television to ready it for the two of them. “Well, whatever, but you ain’t leavin’ here until you watch this movie with me.” Bucky said, pointing an accusing finger at Steve. “I mean it. I ain’t lettin’ you leave until I feed you and you watch a class act picture. It’s time to culture you up, my friend!” As he queued up the DVD player, there came a knock from the door. Food had arrived finally, and Zima did her part to alert them by running full tilt towards the door, yapping her little lungs out until she skidded across the slick floor and ran nose-first into the wood.

Steve gasped, sitting up as he stared at the dazed puppy for a moment. “Is she okay?!” Steve asked, looking up at Bucky as if wondering why he wasn’t rushing to his baby’s assistance.

Bucky grinned. “Yup. Perfectly fine. She does it every single day. Sometimes I think she likes barrelin’ into the door,” he replied. Walking over to the door, Bucky picked up his best girl and kissed her sore nose, which got him grateful licks on his chin. “That’a girl, Zim,” he cooed, opening the door to grab their food. Paying the delivery boy for the food and tip, Bucky kicked the door shut with his heel and placed Zima down on her pillow. “Come and get it! Unless you wanna eat in here?” Bucky asked from the kitchen, gesturing to the television room with his free hand.

Steve grinned, and sat up. He set the kitten down on the pillow next to him, and watched the tiny fluff ball curl up into the cushion for warmth. “In here is good, if that’s alright. I know how some people are about eating in the living room.”

“I don’t care one stupid bit. I eat in here all the time!” Bucky exclaimed. Deciding that eating out of the cartons was probably the better idea if they were going to be sitting on the death-trap sofa, he grabbed two sets of chopsticks and a fork from the table, and carried their food into the living room. “Which utensil you want?”

Steve, finally, flashed Bucky a confident smile. “Chopsticks, always. Don’t insult my intelligence,” he said; with a flourish, Steve plucked the sticks from Bucky’s grip, and beamed at him proudly. “I mean, if _you_ have to use a fork, there’s no shame in that, Buck.”

“Ohhh ho, you little shit,” Bucky said, cocking his head at him before he grabbed his own chopsticks and popped open the lid to his noodles. He turned his attention back to the movie, and saw the DVD menu looping on the screen in front of them. “Prepare for me to annoy the hell out of you in this whole movie. I’ll quote the whole damn thing. You watch me.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t," Steve said, plucking up a potsticker from the shared box between them and taking a bite. “Show me exactly why this movie is so good.”

Bucky grinned, pressing play on the remote control. He watched the screen go black, followed by the Act III logo, and his smile turned absolutely wicked. “Yer gonna eat your words, Rogers….”

* * *

 

The coffee table was littered with empty take-out boxes, and a decent collection of beer bottles, the chopsticks long since discarded in case Zima got it into her head that she wanted to use them as doggy toys. On the floor, Zima had curled up on her pillow, chewing happily on a rope toy and yawning her little heart out, while the kitten had taken roost on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky himself, was lounged against the back of the sofa, his feet propped up on the table in front of them, and his hands folded over Steve’s legs. He looked up at the clock on the far wall and a knowing smile danced across his lips; 2:13am. They’d been watching movies for the past 7 hours, one right after the other and Bucky couldn’t deny it had been one of the best nights of his life.

True to Bucky’s word, he’d quoted almost the entirety of the Princess Bride to Steve. They had enjoyed the madcap antics of Vizzini and his hired goons, gasped when Westley was tortured up to level 50 on The Machine, and laughed hysterically when Billy Crystal came onto the screen as the scheisty Miracle Max. When Inigo had finally avenged his father’s death in the face of his own, Steve had sat on the edge of his seat, staring in worry that the poor Spaniard wouldn’t succeed, only to slump back into the cushions with relief when Inigo finally slaughtered the evil Count Rugen. And when Westley and Buttercup escaped the clutches of Prince Humperdink (Steve had been very vocal about calling him a dick throughout the film), Steve had been so pleased to see the two finally get their kiss he had, no joke, sighed in delight at their happy ending. When Bucky had asked Steve, post credits scene if Steve had enjoyed the film, Steve had outright admitted he thought it might be his new favorite movie.

Mission accomplished.

By the time Bucky had gotten up to fetch the DVD from its tray… shit, he didn’t want Steve to go. He hesitated for a moment, turned to Steve, and offered him a second movie, “After all, it’s only like…. 8 o’clock. It ain’t too late to watch another movie,” he had offered with a hopeful smile.

Steve agreed instantly.

3 movie’s later, and half a case of beer drunk, Bucky could feel the pull of a late night on his eyes, and a yawn threatening to bubble up his chest. Steve looked just as sleepy as he felt. About halfway through the third movie, Steve had curled up into the arm of the couch, propping his legs in Bucky’s lap as he lounged into the squishy cushions beneath them. He looked thoroughly content, his head propped up on the arm of the sofa, a throw pillow tucked into his chest, and a sleepy little smile on his lips.

Bucky really liked that look on Steve.

Running his hand up the side of Steve’s calf, Bucky turned to him, and spoke low in hopes of not disturbing the comfortable atmosphere. “‘ey. Don’t fall asleep there... “ Bucky urged. He squeezed Steve’s calf slightly, hoping to get the other to sit up. “It’s like… almost three o’clock in the mornin’.”

“What, you kicking me out?” Steve asked, looking up at Bucky. He sat up slowly, swinging his legs around to the floor as he beamed at him. His motions seemed to rouse the puppy, and Zima waddled from her pillow, over to Steve’s legs to seek out some cuddles. Seemingly taken by an idea, Steve plucked up the puppy from the floor. He gripped her under the armpits, her furry belly exposed to Bucky as he held her up. “‘Daddy! I’m gonna go home with him!!’” Steve said in a high-pitched baby voice. He wiggled his fingers to get Zima’s paw to wave at Bucky, and he grinned. “‘I think Steve is the bestest person in the whole world!’”

Bucky stared at them for a moment, before he burst into laughter. “Is that how it is, Zima?!” Bucky asked. He reached out and scrubbed his fingers over her belly, making the puppy squirm in Steve’s grip, trying to bite his fingers. “After I rescued you and fed you and turned you fat and fluffy? That’s mean! Steve is evil!” He reached up and plucked the kitten from his shoulder, holding the little cat to his chest. “Fine then! If you kidnap my puppy, I kidnap your kitten. Fair’s fair, Rogers.”

Steve’s eyes widened and he immediately put Zima down in Bucky’s lap. “Noo! I like my kitten!” he said, holding his hands out to the tiny baby. “Please? I’m sorry! I won’t try to steal your puppy again!”

Bucky stared at him for a long moment, before nodding in satisfaction. “A’right fine. I won’t kidnap your baby,” he said, grinning at him. Handing the tiny cat over to Steve, he watched with a warmth in his chest as he saw the huge blond cuddling his kitten so sweetly against his chest. Instantly, the tiny cat began to purr loudly, bumping his nose against Steve’s chest before digging his claws in to hold on tightly to his new owner. “He really likes you, Stevie… I never seen a cat take so quick to someone before.”

Bucky leaned back against the arm of the sofa, running his fingers over Zima’s head in soothing strokes. Seeing Steve like this, so loose and relaxed and happy… Bucky couldn’t shake the thought that he’d kill to see that happiness all day, every day. His own lips cracked into a faint smile, and he propped his head up on his fist as he watched the two of them bonding. “Didya think of a name for him yet?”

Steve seemed to pause for a moment, looking down at the little fluffball in his arms. He pondered for a brief moment, really looking at the tiny thing in his hands, before his smile softened. “I think I’ll call him Scout. He’s a tough little cuss, surviving out there all on his own like that.” He looked up at Bucky, beaming at him. “Yeah… Scout’s perfect.”

“Scout.” Bucky said, trying the name out on his tongue. “I like it.” Bucky sat up and leaned closer to where Steve was sitting. He leaned in, his head ducking just below where Steve’s chin was, as he planted a little kiss on the kitten’s forehead. “A’right, Scout. You gonna take good care of Stevie for me? I’m countin’ on ya!”

Scout mewled, batting his paw out to swipe at Bucky’s nose in response. Bucky grinned, and kissed the tip of Scout’s nose one more time. “I think he can do it.” He said, looking up at Steve.

Shit. They were really close.

Bucky paused, looking up at Steve from where he was perched. From here, Bucky could make out the faintest of lines in Steve’s face, the beginnings of crow’s feet and laugh lines from a happy man, the faint shadow of stubble that was threatening to grow in on his smooth face. He could make out the exact hue of Steve’s blue eyes, and could see the lightest of chapped marks in his full lips.

Holy shit… he wanted to kiss him. No… he _had to kiss him._

“So…” Bucky murmured, clearing his throat slightly.

“So.” Steve replied. He sounded just slightly nervous, as if Bucky had caught him doing something he shouldn’t be doing. “Thank you for dinner, and showing me all those movies. I really liked the Princess Bride… I wasn’t too fond of the Fox and the Hound….”

“That’s because you cried,” Bucky shot back, grinning at him smugly.

“I did not!” Steve exclaimed, looking insulted. “I got an eyelash in my eye.”

“Of course ya did.” Bucky conceded, waving his hand at him. “If that’s what makes you sleep well at night, you just keep tellin’ yerself that.”

“Oh, my God, you’re cruel.” Steve said, pouting his lower lip out at Bucky.

Bucky’s eyes immediately went to Steve’s lower lip, locked on the fullness of it, and he found himself swallowing thickly. Shit…

“It’s getting late,” he found himself blurting out. Almost immediately, he hated himself for saying it. Shit,  he didn’t want Steve to leave! He wanted him to stay with him… all night. Every night, if he could!

“Yeah…” Steve sighed, looking highly disappointed. He lowered his gaze to the floor, hesitating for a brief second. “I probably overstayed my welcome anyway-”

“No you didn’t!” Bucky exclaimed, cutting him off immediately. “I liked you here! I kinda…” Oh fuck. Fuck it, he might as well just say it. “I don’ want you to go.”

The silence that enveloped them both was stifling. Steve didn’t move for the longest time, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at his companion, mouth hanging open. Bucky felt his cheeks flushing dark red, and he lowered his gaze immediately. Shit. He’d fucked up. He’d so fucked up. He’d just gone and thrown Steve under the bus, all but tattooing his intentions on his own fucking face. How fucking creepy could he get? _‘Hey I really like you and I want you to stay the night with me, you cool with that?’_ Sickening!

“Sorry… sorry that was…” Bucky lowered his gaze to the floor as he shifted away from Steve. “That was wrong an’ creepy of me and I’m-”

“I wanna stay too.”

Bucky’s eyes immediately snapped up to Steve’s face. Steve’s shock had melted away to embarrassment, but there was hope definitely burning in his eyes. Steve didn’t want to leave. He knew he had to… but he didn’t want to.That had to count for something.

“You…” Bucky paused. He scooted closer to Steve, letting their knees touch slightly as he looked up at him. Fucking hell, he hadn’t been this shy or coy about any of his other romantic forays. Not even with Alex. But with Steve… Bucky couldn’t shake how much he wanted to protect him, coddle him, actually really _worship_ him. Steve wanted to stay… but that didn’t mean that he wanted Bucky yet… not yet. “You know… how much I like ya, right?” Bucky licked his lower lip, twisting his fingers in the hem of his t-shirt nervously. “Like… I don’t want ya t’leave and I really wish that I could kiss ya right now, because… yer the nicest guy I’ve ever met and I liked ya ever since I met ya. And I don’ wanna do nothin’ you don’ want, so…”

“Bucky?”

The brunet looked up at Steve, his eyes widening. He’d said too much. Fuck. “Y-yeah?”

Steve stared at him for a moment, before a smile lit his face. He placed the kitten down on the floor to go cuddle with Zima and wrapped his fingers up into the front of Bucky’s t-shirt. “Shut up.”

Before Bucky could react, he felt himself tugged forward with sudden force. Before he could even yelp out in surprise, Steve pulled him into a kiss, their lips crashing together. It took Bucky a split second to really grasp what was happening, but the moment he realized that Steve had _actually_ initiated the kiss…

All bets were fucking off.

Instantly, Bucky’s hands went to Steve’s shoulders, gripping the firm breadth between them as he pulled the blond closer. Their lips slotted together in perfect synchronicity, and he darted his tongue out to lick at the full, bottom lip caught between his own. Steve tasted like residual seasoning and beer, but underneath those essences, Bucky could make out a sweetness of skin and Steve’s unique muskiness that he found himself instantly addicted to. He prodded forward, prying his way into Steve’s mouth as he tilted his head just right.

Steve followed suit, tilting his head in the opposite direction as he pulled Bucky closer to him. his fingers tightened in Bucky’s t-shirt, practically pulling the brunet into his lap, before he was wrapping his free hand around the mechanic’s shoulders. Bucky felt a shiver of delight in his spine at the sheer intensity Steve kissed him back with, begging without words to deepen the kiss further.

Already he felt breathless, dizzy with a high of delight as he kissed his companion. It was everything he could imagine; Steve was perfect, warm and strong, and just right in his arms. Bucky hummed lightly, tugging just so on Steve’s lower lip until the plush skin popped out from between his teeth. Their noses brushed in a faint tickle, and Bucky opened his eyes to look up at Steve. Steve’s pupils had blown wide, engulfing the perfect hue of his blue eyes in inky blackness.

‘ _Shit… he’s real turned on…’_ Bucky thought with giddiness as he stared up at his partner. He was sure he didn’t look much better but he didn’t care about that. All he cared about was touching that face, feeling the way his blood warmed his skin until it was rosy beneath his fingertips. He wanted to taste him all over, drink up the perfection that was Steve, and never let him go again.

“You’re fuckin’ beautiful…” Bucky whispered. He let his fingers dance over Steve’s cheek, drifting back to draw along the defined, chiseled line of his jaw. He let his fingers draw through the fine hairs at the base of Steve’s scalp, before giving the blond strands a gentle tug. The corner of his lip turned up in a half smile and he tilted his head in innocence. “Yer the most beautiful guy I’ve ever gotten to kiss…”

“Stop it. You don’t really mean that,” Steve said.

Bucky frowned, his earlier cheer falling just a bit. He didn’t like the disappointment that actually colored Steve’s words; he’d actually not believed him. Did Steve not think he was beautiful? “Yer kiddin’ me right?” Bucky asked, raising a brow at him. Without waiting, Bucky reached up and pulled Steve’s glasses from his face. “D’you even look in a mirror? You’re gorgeous.” Bucky leaned in, pressing a kiss to each of Steve’s cheeks before kissing the tip of his nose. “You’re fuckin’ stunning, and perfect in every way. Why don’cha think yer beautiful?”

Steve hesitated, lowering his gaze to the floor. “Nothing… don’t worry about it.”

Bucky stared at him for a moment, his mind working overtime to understand what Steve was getting at. Steve was perfect in every way, built strong and tall and handsome, yet he thought so little of himself. He wanted to know why. He wouldn’t press… but Bucky knew he was going to figure out how to get Steve to see that.

Starting right now.

Smiling at Steve, Bucky reached out and placed his glasses on the table across from them. With his hands free, Bucky wrapped his fingers around Steve’s arms, pulling him closer. He tugged him back into another kiss, this time more heated and needy, and he pulled back to tug Steve into his lap. When he had the blond situated between his legs, Bucky leaned back, laying across the sofa as he pulled Steve down with him. The kiss deepened, tongues darting and dancing in wet, open-mouthed caresses as they both thoroughly explored each other for the first time. Bucky’s hand tightened around Steve’s back, pulling him down flush until the blond was laying across his chest, their legs intertwined. Breathless and hungry, Bucky pulled away from Steve’s lips, tugging on the swollen flesh slightly before he began to pepper tiny kisses down the side of his friend’s throat.

“Yer stunning… and I’m gonna make sure I tell you that every day,” Bucky vowed. He nibbled the skin at the junction of Steve’s throat and shoulder, tugging the cloth of his t-shirt away from his skin so he could work a bruise into the skin there. It was a faint pink mark, but he loved the sight of it on Steve's pale skin. Bucky groaned, moving back to kiss and lave at the skin of his throat. “Yer gonna believe me someday. And I ain’t gonna stop until you know it.”

“B-bucky…” Steve whimpered. He craned his head back, exposing his throat to the brunet as his eyes drifted shut to relish the feel of his lips on his skin. His cheeks were now bright pink, and his breath came out in short, shivery puffs as Bucky worshipped his skin with licks and nips. Steve’s fingers dug into the armrest above Bucky’s head, the veins of his bicep showing beneath his skin as he held himself up.

Bucky smirked, leaning up to nibble the line of his jaw carefully. He tightened his fingers in Steve’s hair, tugging his head back to give himself full access to his throat, before he was moving to the other side of Steve’s neck. He leaned up, biting the skin of his earlobe before he kissed a trail from behind his ear, across his cheek and back to his lips, where he pulled Steve into another kiss. “You like that…” he asked between kisses. “You like that, don’t you…”

“Yes… y-yes, I do…” Steve whined. He plunged down, lips locking and tongues prodding mouths until their kisses became sloppy; the air around them filled with the wet suckles of their kiss, the noise only serving to drive Bucky mad. Without warning, Steve’s hips rolled down against Bucky’s lap, one smooth, deep rut of his pelvis, rubbing up against Bucky’s front in a desperate action.

Bucky gasped, his eyes widening as he felt the hard line of Steve’s erection through his jeans; granted, he had no room to talk. He was hard and erect in his own jeans, and the needy gesture only served to drive him crazy. Bucky rocked up against the warm body above him, his hands moving from Steve’s shoulders, trailing down the expanse of his muscled back. He gripped the bottom hem of Steve’s t-shirt, pulling it up so that he could feel that bare skin beneath his calloused fingertips. He was warm, almost too-warm, and Bucky had a brief moment, a memory of their first meeting in the bakery.

Steve was a full-body blusher. This he had to see for himself.

Without warning, Bucky suddenly gripped Steve by the shoulder, wrapping his leg around his waist. With a careful, practice motion, he had the two of them flipped over, this time with Steve on his back, looking up at Bucky with surprise on his face. Bucky just grinned down at him, reaching out to tug on Steve’s borrowed t-shirt. With a quick swish of fabric, Bucky had the blond completely bare chested, his torso open to the cold air around them. Sure enough, Bucky’s eyes caught sight of Steve’s chest, his shoulders, his neck… everything from a few inches above Steve’s navel up, was bright red, cheeks and ears included. “Holy shit…” Bucky gasped, feeling himself salivating at the sight of him. “Yer… yer so fuckin’ hot!”

Steve whined, turning his face away from Bucky as he buried his face in the cushion next to him. “Why do you think that?” Steve asked, sounding pitiful in his question.

Bucky just shook his head; leaning down, Bucky traced the tip of his tongue up the expanse of Steve’s chest. Planting little kisses over his chest, Bucky let the loop of his lip ring trace faint patterns over a pert nipple; the reaction it got him made the remaining blood in his body shoot south to his cock. He was so fucking hard already… “Because I know a beautiful man when I see one, Stevie… and yer beautiful…” Bucky leaned down, bracketing Steve’s shoulders between his arms as he smiled down at him. “Inside and out…”

Steve looked up at Bucky, his eyes shining brightly. He lunged up, wrapping his hand around the back of Bucky’s neck as he crashed them both into an even more desperate kiss. Their earlier sweetness had melted away into pure, unadulterated _need,_ and without waiting, Steve has his leg wrapped around Bucky’s waist, drawing him closer as the blond bucked up against him until the two were grinding against each other without hesitation.

 _‘He’s a bottom… he’s totally a fuckin’ bottom…’_ Bucky thought to himself, and a low moan escaped him. He kissed back, licking into the warm recesses of his mouth. Bucky felt irrationally excited at the prospect of Steve wanting to be his bottom, and he found a happy shiver running up his spine.

Their hips didn’t stop the undulating pattern, rubbing and rutting in gentle arcs of their spines as they kissed each other breathless. Bucky wanted nothing more than to make Steve feel so fucking good, make him feel beautiful and wanted and perfect… his hand snaked down the side of Steve’s bare, reddened torso, feeling the sheer heat ebbing off of his skin in waves. His fingertips finally found the tops of Steve’s jeans, running along the tops of the denim before his thumb was brushing against the button keeping Steve’s cock confined to his pants. But just as he worked the button open, wondering how the hell he was going to get the lube from his room without disturbing their perfect pace, Bucky felt a hand trail down and wrap around his wrist, stopping him. Confused, Bucky looked up at Steve, breathing heavily as his body fought against himself to continue on. _‘Don’t stop, please…’_

“Wait…” Steve panted raggedly. His cheeks were dark red, and his lips were swollen and wet; he looked fucking ready for anything Bucky can give him. But he stopped him. Why? “Wait... “

“You okay?” Bucky asked, worry filling his chest. Instantly, he moved his hand away from Steve’s waist, pressing it down into the squishy cushions beneath them, as he stared down at him in worry. “Stevie… are you a’right? What’s wrong?”

Steve took a deep breath, taking the moment to calm his galloping pulse. His eyes fluttered opened and he looked up at Bucky with that faint, wanting smile still on his kiss-bruised lips. “Yeah.. I’m perfect…” His smile suddenly turned wistful, almost sad, and he lowered his gaze to their chests just barely grazing each other. “Just… not yet. I want this… I want you. Just not yet…”

Bucky stared at him for a moment, disappointment welling in his chest before he really thought about it. No way… Steve was a virgin. At least in this sense. He was scared; he wasn’t ready to continue on.

Bucky couldn’t fault him for that.

With a smile, Bucky’s expression morphed into understanding and acceptance. He leaned down, pulling Steve into another kiss; this time, however, it was sweet and gentle, barely-there brushes of lips against the other as he soothed his worries away. He brushed his fingers along Steve’s jaw one last time, before he finally sat up. “It’s okay, Stevie… We ain’t gotta rush.” He smiled down at him and extended his hand, helping Steve sit up as well. He handed him back the t-shirt he’d been wearing, and allowed Steve the chance to put his shirt back on. “You should pro’lly go home anyway… Scout needs to be put to bed.”

“I don’t wanna leave…” Steve repeated, looking disappointed as he rested his hands in his lap. He reached up, touching the side of his neck where Bucky had sucked marks into his skin, and his cheeks filled in with color again. “I’m sorry, Bucky…”

“Hey…” Bucky muttered. Standing up, he extended his hand to Steve, pulling him to his feet. Without a word, Bucky leaned in and pulled him into another kiss, lingering for a second before he exhaled, slowly against his lips. “It’s a’right. Y’ain’t ready, I get that.” Wrapping his hand around Steve’s wrist, he allowed his friend to grab his dirty t-shirt and slip his sneakers on. Then, when Bucky had fetched the kitten from Zima’s doggie bed, he gave the cat over to Steve and walked him out of the apartment to the chilly street below. It was past 3 in the morning, and the streets were dark and barren. Bucky reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. “You gonna be okay, walkin’ home by yerself?” Bucky asked, lighting up his cigarette with a flick of his lighter.

Steve nodded, looking down at the kitten he had bundled against his chest. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’ll take me ten minutes to get there.” Steve looked up at his friend, offering him a weak smile. “Thank you…”

“For what?”

Steve hesitated, before leaning in. He pressed one last, chaste kiss to Bucky’s lips, lingering for a moment as he let their noses brush again. “Just thank you…” He pulled away at last, lingering as if he was warring with himself not to leave, before he finally turned on his heel. He made it about ten feet away from Bucky, before he turned back to look at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow?!” He called, his voice worried and hopeful, as if he feared that he wouldn’t see Bucky again.

Bucky looked up at him, his eyes soft and his smile knowing. He nodded to him, bowing slightly at the waist before he winked to his friend. “As you wish…”he said, knowing Steve would get the implication.

Steve stared at him for a moment, taking his promise in before his lips cracked into a smile brighter than the sun. He nodded back to Bucky and turned, a little more confident in his steps as he finally took his leave for the night.

Bucky didn’t say anything. Instead, he stood in contented silence, watching as Steve departed his street to head home for the evening. Bucky didn’t even pay attention as he finished his cigarette and made his way back up to his apartment for the night. He’d been too worried about Steve making it home safe to really think. He hoped he made it home in one piece.

Locking himself into his apartment, Bucky leaned his back against the door, taking a moment to really think about what had happened that night. He’d almost had sex with Steve Rogers… Steve wanted to be with him. He was in love with Steve. It was a fucking dream come true.

Feeling giddier than ever, Bucky wandered into his bedroom and flopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a huge smile on his face. He kicked out of his jeans without preamble, letting the denim fall to the floor as he crawled under the blankets beneath him. His cock was still hard in his boxer briefs, demanding attention as he thought of Steve, breathless and wanting beneath him. Fuck, Steve wanted him. He wanted Steve more than anything in the world.

He had to be up in just a couple hours for work, but he couldn’t stop his hand from snaking down to push underneath his underwear and take himself in hand. He stroked his hardened length with a lazy-paced twisting of his wrist, thinking of blushing skin, wide eyes, needy whimpers. He thought of Steve Rogers as he jacked himself to contentment, hitting a quick, lazy climax as he moaned Steve’s name under his breath.

As he came down from his high, Bucky laughed as a thought came to him. He’d been so preoccupied with the whole day, he’d forgotten to go get his groceries like he wanted.

Well… that was okay. He had had more important things to do, anyway…

* * *

 

Steve lay on his back, staring up at his bedroom ceiling in stunned silence. On his chest, Scout had curled up in a tiny ball, the little kitten purring contentedly as he snuggled into his owner’s chest for a good night’s sleep.

Steve didn’t think he would be sleeping anytime soon.

“Shit…” he breathed, feeling the residual dregs of his attraction towards Bucky still humming brightly under his skin. He couldn’t shake how it felt to have Bucky’s hands all over him. He could still feel his lips pressing kisses into his skin, the way their mouths fit perfectly together like destined puzzle pieces. He could still smell Bucky’s cologne, the scent had rubbed off onto him from their earlier activities. He ran his fingers up and down his stomach, feeling the cottony softness of Bucky’s t-shirt warmed by his own body. He could practically still feel Bucky’s arms around him, the way their hips rolled together, their legs entwined, their hearts beating in tempo to the other…

Steve Rogers was totally, undeniably, and irreversibly in love with Bucky Barnes. And he was terrified out of his mind.

Who would give someone a kitten, if they weren’t in love with them? Who else could kiss like none of the world mattered around them? Steve couldn’t deny it felt so fucking, unbelievably, and perfectly right in Bucky’s arms. Like he was home.

He _was_ home when he was in Bucky's arms.

Steve had never felt like this with anyone in his life. He’d never felt an iota of this when he was with Sharon. And that was the fucking kicker: Steve knew, if Sharon hadn’t been in the picture, he would still be over at Bucky’s apartment right now, probably in the afterglow of the best sex he’d had in his life, clinging to Bucky like his life depended on it.

But Sharon _was_ in the picture. And now Steve was here, alone, wishing he could be holding Bucky. Instead, what was he doing?

Freaking the fuck out.

He couldn’t sleep with Bucky until he’d broken up with Sharon, because he couldn’t stomach the idea of cheating on anyone (‘ _Did I cheat on her already? It was just a kiss… a shirtless kiss... Okay making out and grinding and… Did I cheat on her?’_ ). But, he couldn’t stay with Sharon anymore either, because he couldn’t stomach the idea of missing out on being with the best fucking guy he’d ever known in his life. Neither of those situations were ideal in Steve’s mind, but of those two options… Steve knew he couldn’t let Bucky go. Not for a million weddings to Sharon, beautiful woman or not. He couldn’t do it… he couldn’t lose Bucky for good. It just wasn’t an option.

“I gotta break up with her! Now!” Steve gasped, shaking his head as he scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. He wasn’t in love with Sharon. He was in love with Bucky and it fucking _hurt_ that he couldn’t be over there, right now, with the one person he could die happy with. But he fucking couldn’t, because he was still with the wrong damn person. He had to end it with Sharon, once and for all, before he lost the one person that knew him, understood him, _accepted_ him for who he was, flaws and all.

Rolling over, Steve deposited the kitten onto the pillow next to his head, and reached for his cell phone. He pulled up Sharon’s number and dialed it; he hated the idea of breaking up with someone over the phone, but he just couldn't wait anymore. He hadn’t seen her in days. She hadn’t contacted him. He couldn’t wait anymore. It was over, plain and simple.

Steve held the phone to his ear, waiting with baited breath to see if Sharon would pick up at last. Initially, Steve had panicked the night he'd gone to the piers with Bucky; after Sharon's phone had rejected his calls several times and all of his texts messages had bounced back to him, Steve had feared the worst had happened while Sharon was out at work. Perhaps she'd gotten in an accident. Maybe she was sick. Despite his hopes, Steve felt utterly vile that the first thought that came to mind at that possibility was _"if she is I'll have to stay with her, even if I don't want to. I hope she's okay. I don't want to give up Bucky..."_

Luckily, his fears had been put to rest the morning after his "date" with Bucky. Shortly after he'd opened, one of Sharon's coworkers had come in for a cake for her daughter's birthday and confirmed that Sharon was alive and well. She didn't give an explanation as to why Sharon was ignoring Steve, but her confirmation had at least calmed Steve's racing heart. At least he knew that he wasn't saddled down with the guilt of having to stay with an injured woman whom he'd promised himself to, despite his hesitance. 

Everything was well. He could separate from her in peace. If only she'd answer her _fucking_ phone!

But she didn’t pick up. Instead, Steve listened in dismay to hear the call go directly to voicemail again. Just like it had the last several times he’d tried to call her.

“Son of a bitch,” Steve growled, tossing the phone back down onto the side table before he let his head slump back into the pillow beneath him. He stared up at the ceiling, frustration and annoyance bubbling in his chest. She was blocking his number. Why the fuck was she blocking his number? Did she know? Did she have an idea?

He relaxed a bit as a new idea came to him. Maybe… Maybe she didn’t want to get married either. Maybe she thought she was saving him the heartache of telling him she didn’t want to be with him anymore by ignoring his calls.

Holy shit, did Steve hope that that was the answer.

A tiny mewl sounded just to the side of his head; he looked up to see Scout staring at him with big, brown eyes, and a curious face. Instantly, all the worry and anger in Steve melted away to contentment as he stared at his kitten with utter happiness. He turned over to his side, placing his glasses on the side table as he let Scout play with the tips of his fingers. “Had enough sleep huh?” Steve asked, watching as Scout pounced on his fingers and began to chew on the tips.

Even Scout was absolutely perfect. Deaf in one ear or not, Scout was absolute wonder and joy, all rolled into a tiny body covered in silky soft fur. And Bucky had given Scout to him. Bucky had rescued Steve twice. Bucky had been there for Steve through some of his most troubling days this summer so far.

Bucky cared for him, deeply. Steve could see it in his eyes.

Steve realized then that he couldn’t stress over this that night. Sharon wasn’t picking up, so he couldn’t do anything about her at that moment. All Steve could do was relish in the delight of Bucky and his feelings for him. Steve exhaled, closing his eyes as Scout curled into the crook of his neck for another well-deserved nap. A small smile danced across his lips as he thought of piercing blue eyes, dark hair, and a beautiful man that wanted nothing more than to give himself entirely to Steve. Steve thought back to their kiss, the way Bucky had held him so close, safe and warm, and the way his own heart had sang at the touches, the caresses, the sheer perfection it was. Steve thought of their kiss, and how his spirit had soared when they were together. Steve thought he knew passionate kisses. He had been so wrong.

_‘Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure… this one left them all behind.’_

Steve knew, in that moment, that he hadn’t been living his life. He’d just been existing, surviving, going about his day to day without real happiness in sight. He hadn’t experienced living until he’d been with Bucky Barnes. And now, he finally had.

* * *

 

 

Some picture inspirations:

 

Here's Scout, the super kitten that made Steve smile. He'll make a good bodyguard for his new owner :)

  

 

For people who might be wondering, this is Bucky's T-shirt I was referring to:

 

And finally, YAAAAYYY THEY ARE FINALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE!!!! LOOK AT THOSE PRETTY KISSES :D

 

*squee*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One one more chapter to go until the SMUT BEGINS!!!! Buahahahahaha. You will all be greatly rewarded for your patience when the smut finally comes. I can guarantee that ;)


	6. The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a horrifying nightmare rouses Steve from his glorious night with Bucky, Steve realizes his time with Sharon has come to an end at last. But things don't go quite as planned for Steve and he finds himself losing his temper at the worst person he could possibly be angry at. Lucky for Steve, Bucky isn't the kind of person to let flared tempers get the best of his intentions. Date night, anyone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAAAY I FINALLY GOT CHAPTER 6 FINISHED!!!!
> 
> Oh my God guys, this story is so close to breaking 10k hits. I'm crying. I'm so happy guys. You're all so amazing, and thank you so much for your support of this fic. It's such a blast to write and I have so much fun plotting out and putting this tale down for everyone to read. You all seriously have no idea how much fun it is to see your reactions to this story, and I PROMISE I will be getting back to you all in my inbox. (100+ messages to reply to... yikes!!)
> 
> Again, thank you so much for your support of this fic. I honestly couldn't do it without all of your kind loving words :D

Steve knew he was dreaming; he had to be. There was absolutely no way his day could possibly be this perfect.

It had started with Steve working tirelessly behind his bakery counter, catering to the orders of many customers. The line went smoothly, everyone was happy. He was making money. It was a perfect business day for Steve, and he couldn’t believe that such a morning was going by so effortlessly for him, even without the help at hand of a second worker.

As the morning went on, the line of customers finally abated, leaving Steve alone in his shop. But it wouldn’t be for long. Shortly after the rush ended, Bucky whisked into the shop, wearing that white tank-top and jeans ensemble that Steve had fallen in love with not so long ago, smiling broadly at him as he held his hand out to Steve. “C’mon, Stevie! Let’s go, the day is beautiful out and I wanna spend it with my best guy!” Bucky called, his smile radiant. He looked the epitome of a man in love, and the shiver of mutual delight Steve felt was unparalleled.

Steve laughed, tossing his rag down and smiling at Bucky before quickly abandoning his counter. “Tony! Run the shop for a bit. I’m going out for lunch!” He called over his shoulder to the back room. Miraculously, Tony poked his head out from the door and winked at Steve all-knowingly. Where Tony had come from, Steve had no idea; as far as he knew, Steve had been working alone.

“Go get ‘em Tiger! I got it taken care of here,” Tony said, waving him off with a flick of his wrist. “Go fall in love, you big idiot!”

Steve smiled, reaching out and taking Bucky’s hand in his. The moment their fingers locked, Steve felt himself tugged forward and he gasped, his eyes widening as he was pulled from the shop to the streets outside. It was sunny and warm, but not oppressively hot as it had been the past few days. Steve looked up at the sky, his fingers tightening around Bucky’s hand as he inhaled a lungful of fresh air. “It’s a beautiful day…” he murmured, looking down at his boyfriend with a giddy smile on his lips.

Boyfriend? Surely, he _was_ dreaming…

Bucky just smiled, and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist. Pulling him flush to his front, Bucky smiled at his lover, his blue eyes dancing happily in the sunlight. “It’s even more beautiful now that yer here,” he murmured. He leaned up, letting his lips brush over Steve’s before he reached down to cup a palm over Steve’s backside with a grin.

Steve gasped, jumping in Bucky’s arms as he twisted around to see where his hand was. Just as he felt, it was planted firmly over his ass, and gave the left cheek a gentle squeeze. “You cheeky brat!” Steve gasped, looking back at Bucky. “We’re out in public, you can’t just grab my ass like that!”

Bucky just giggled, lacing his fingers behind Steve’s back and tugging him closer; he leaned in and pulled Steve into a kiss, their lips slotting together perfectly. The kiss was warm and inviting, and Steve found himself melting right into Bucky’s grin, his arms wrapping around the mechanic’s shoulders as he held on for dear life. Jesus Christ, Bucky could make him weak in the knees just by smiling at him, and here he was, making out with him in front of the shop like the world didn’t matter.

“Stevie… look around ya. You see anyone watchin’ us?” Bucky asked after he’d pulled back to catch his breath back. He beamed at his boyfriend and flickered his gaze across the street. Sure enough, the block was completely barren, and when Steve looked to the edge of the block, he could see the nearby park just beyond the row of buildings. Subconsciously, Steve thought that it was weird that the park was so visible, when it was around the _second_ corner, but he didn’t dwell too long on that. Bucky pulled away from Steve, swinging their hands in friendly arches. “Nope. Not a single person. Stop bein’ so self-conscious, baby. Yer with me now, there ain’t a reason for you to feel so self-conscious.” Bucky pulled on his hand and tugged him down the sidewalk, flashing him a knowing grin. “ Besides, ya didn’t tell anyone about us yet. Who’d know?”

Steve paused, his mind running over such a curious statement. No, Steve hadn’t told anyone else. Sure Tony knew, but he’d seen the two of them together. Then again, Steve hadn’t opened up his feelings to Tony yet, either... What on earth did Bucky possibly mean? “Where are you taking me?” Steve asked, following willingly after his boyfriend down the street. As they walked, the shops and apartments went by in a blur, so fast that Steve could barely make out the signs as they went. It was okay. He knew these stores like the back of his hand. This was a comfortable day. There was no reason to worry.

In record time, the two of them found themselves in the park, and like the block they had been standing on, the park was completely bereft of people. Steve felt a sort of calm washing over him and his hand tightened around Bucky’s fingers. “Why did you bring me here?” he asked, looking down at his boyfriend with light in his eyes.

Bucky shrugged, tugging Steve over to a tree on the far side of the clearing. But as he walked, his earlier happiness began to abate a bit, and his steps slowed to a more sombre pace. At the base of a tree, Zima and Scout both sat together, their ears pricked forward and eager to see Steve. Steve laughed, ignoring Bucky’s gradual change of mood, and dropped down to his knees to play with the animals in front of them. “What is this, a family meeting?” Steve asked, looking up at Bucky with a smile on his lips. He had Scout safely bundled up to his chest, the kitten purring up a storm as he nuzzled into his owner’s broad chest.

“Nothin’, baby…” Bucky said, though his voice took a turn Steve didn’t quite understand. It didn’t sound happy, but it wasn’t quite sad either. Bucky’s gaze flickered from the animals to the clearing around them, as if he were looking for something… or someone.

Steve looked up at his boyfriend, his mouth turning down into a frown. “Bucky? What’s wrong?”

Bucky didn’t answer. At first, he simply stared down at Steve, his earlier cheer completely gone and taken over by a melancholy Steve had never seen before. He dropped down next to him, reaching out to pull Zima into a tight hug. Steve didn’t like that. He didn’t like how desperately Bucky seemed to cling to his dog, as if it were the last time he was seeing her. When he finally put Zima back down, he reached out and plucked her collar from her throat, before watching with sadness as the dog took off, leaving them both behind.

“Bucky!” Steve exclaimed, watching in shock as he let Zima go without a word. “What are you doing?!” What the hell was going on? They were just going on a date! Steve looked away from where he’d seen Zima disappear into the trees, and his eyes landed on Bucky. He gasped; Bucky’s clothes had changed suddenly. Gone was the white tanktop and the jeans. Now he wore a pair of black sweatpants and an old, ratty t-shirt. Gone was the cheerful, light expression on Bucky’s face. Now, his eyes were red and puffy, and definite tear tracks were on his skin as if he’d finished a good sob. Bucky looked old and tired… worst of all, he looked heartbroken. Like Steve had been the one to break his heart.

“Why didn’ you tell me, Stevie?” Bucky asked, looking up at him. Bucky’s eyes were shining, but not with happiness this time. Now, there were unshed tears in his eyes as if he were getting ready to cry again, and the melancholy Steve had witnessed had devolved into full sorrow. “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

Steve stared at Bucky, feeling his chest tightening in fear. _Her?_ Surely, Bucky didn’t mean... “What.. I don’t.. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bucky laughed, a derisive sound that barely shook his shoulders. “Yer terrible at lyin’ ya know that?” Bucky stood up, looking down at Steve with a mask of hurt and betrayal. “I didn’ do nothin’ to you. Why do you have to keep lyin’ to me and Sharon? What good you think that’s gonna do the both of us?”

Steve froze, his heart screeching to a halt in his chest. “Bucky... how did you know…”

Before Bucky could answer, the sound of running feet caught their attention. Steve looked up in time to see two police officers rush to the tree, shouting at them to stand down. One of them grabbed Bucky by the shoulders and shoved him up against the tree, chest-first, and pinned his arms behind his back. The second officer reached down and snatched Scout right from Steve’s arms, shoving the little kitten into a burlap bag, cinching the knot of the tie with a rough grip.

“HEY!” Steve shouted, jumping to his feet in horror. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes as he realized… they had been caught. “Stop! What are you doing?!”

“They knew. Everyone knew! Who did you think you were foolin’ Stevie?!” Bucky cried, looking back at Steve in disgust. His cheek was still pressed to the bark of the tree, rubbed raw by the rough surface and adding to the pink his sobs had left behind. “You lied to me! You lied to Sharon! To everyone! Why?!”

Steve cried, shaking his head as tears coursed down his cheeks. “I wasn’t.. I was gonna tell you! I swear I was. I was going to come clean to everyone,” he begged. He watched in dismay as the second officer shouldered the bag with his cat inside it, and grabbed Bucky’s left arm. The two officers steered his boyfriend away from the tree, fingers tangled in his hair to drag him roughly away from Steve and shouted obscenities at Bucky the whole way. “Please! STOP!”

“It’s no use! You get what you deserve, Stevie!” Bucky sobbed, his head dangling between his shoulders as the officers rough-housed him away from the frantic baker. “You lied to get happiness. Now neither of us get what we want!”

Steve wailed, watching the officers drag his cat and his boyfriend away from him. He tried to follow, God how he tried to follow; but his feet felt glued to the ground and he was rooted to the spot. Every step he tried to take felt like trudging through mud, and he looked down at his feet. But instead of seeing mud or even concrete holding him back… he saw frosting. Vanilla creme frosting engulfed his feet up to his calves and stickier than any glue he’d ever seen in his life, dragging him down and keeping him from rushing after his boyfriend to rescue him, to save their relationship he’d so badly fucked up.

“What the…” Steve gasped, looking up. But just when he did, he felt the ground open up beneath him and he plummeted, screaming at the top of his lungs. He fell into sheer darkness, and all around him he heard mocking laughter, jeering cries, and saw flashes of faces tumbling past him like he was Alice in the rabbit hole. Steve screamed, squeezing his eyes shut against the horrifying images, expecting to hit rock bottom. But of course that didn’t make sense. He already had.

Suddenly, the laughter ended. It was quiet, almost eerily quiet, and every breath he took echoed off of the walls around him. Steve squeezed his eyes shut tighter, shaking his head as he willed himself to wake up from this nightmare. “It’s not real…” he breathed, trembling viciously in his spot. “It’s not real… it’s a nightmare… it’s not real!”

_“Steve…”_

Steve’s eyes snapped open. He was in total darkness, swallowed up whole by the inky void around him, his very own Pit of Despair. He heard his name called again in that same, ethereal voice that he knew all too well, and his blood ran like ice in his veins. “S… Sharon?”

_“Steve… come here. It’s time, babe…”_

Steve blinked, feeling his feet moving of their own free will. He followed the voice, as much as he tried to fight it, terrified to know where they were taking him. “No… no!” he whimpered, shaking himself as he tried to fight the force calling to him. “I don’t… I don’t want you! I don’t want this!”

_“Yes you do, Steve… you wanted this when you asked me to be your wife. Now it’s time to hold up to that vow…”_

Steve squeezed his eyes shut again, shaking his head viciously against the come hither dragging him further into this delusion. After a few more, halted steps, Steve felt the wood of a door in front of him, the brass doorknob right at his hand. Without thinking he reached out, twisting the knob carefully and opening the door. A flash of bright white light illuminated him and he stumbled forward, gasping for air.

But when he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in the park. He wasn’t in the rabbit hole. He was standing in a chapel, and everyone he ever knew was seated in the pews in front of him, dressed in their best clothing and clearly congregated for a formal affair; to Steve’s horror, it looked more like they were gathered for a funeral, than anything. Fuck, even his mother was there, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief as she smiled at her son  with a proudly manic smile on her face.

“Oh Jesus…” Steve gasped, attempting to take a step back and escape the church. Only when he did, he felt a resistance on his left hand and he looked down. The first thing he saw was that he’d changed his clothes somehow. He was wearing the hideous white tuxedo that Sharon had picked out for him and the cummerbund around his stomach felt constricting, like he couldn’t take a good breath. The second thing he saw was the reason why his hand felt so heavy. He was wearing a handcuff, and Sharon was attached to the other end.

“Shar?” Steve gasped, looking up at her. She was wearing an ornate, princess-style wedding dress, but it had been greatly modified from its original cut. It only took Steve a second to understand why; it would have been impossible for the tiny waist of the original dress to fit around her heavily pregnant stomach.

“What’s the matter Steve?” Sharon asked, beaming up at him, She tugged him closer, and Steve stumbled forward, taken off-guard by her sudden reaction. “Aren’t you happy? It’s the happiest day of our lives! Why do you look so sad?”

“B-because I lost Bucky!” Steve exclaimed, feeling his eyes burning again.

In front of him the entire chapel roared with laughter, and Sharon giggled, covering her ruby-red lips with her hand. “Oh don’t be silly, you didn’t lose him! You pushed him away! That’s what you get for lying to him all this time!” Sharon yawned, pushing her veil back from her face. “Besides, I was the one that called the police on him. It’s not right for an adulterer to run around the streets free like that. He might try to steal someone else’s fiance from her. Now he’ll go to prison to be with the rest of the tattooed, pierced, freaks and degenerates of the world. Everyone gets a happy ending!”

“You called them,” Steve squeaked, his voice choked off and frightened. “Why!?”

Sharon just beamed up at him, stepping into his space. “Because you’re my husband, Steve. You and me... we’re together until the end, babe.” With that, Sharon tugged Steve towards the altar, beaming up at him with an almost crazed grin on her painted lips. “Don’t worry, this will fix everything. I promise you, once we get married, all of this foolishness will be over. You’ll be fixed, Stevie… everything will be fixed.”

“Don’t call me Stevie!” Steve barked, trying to yank away from her. But the cuff held fast and Sharon was resilient. He looked up at her, watching her laugh as several people from the crowd began to file up by the altar, taking their sides as the wedding party.

“It’s okay, Stevie…” Sam said, his voice startling Steve from his thoughts as he looked up at him. “I was wrong to tell you to break up with Sharon. Look at her, she’s glowing. She’s perfect for you. You’ll be fixed soon, as long as you let Bucky go. You don’t need him. He can’t even talk right! He’s a useless bum, and a mechanic of all things. You deserve better in your life. We all know this.”

“No!” Steve shouted, trying to cover his ears. He wasn’t hearing this. It wasn’t real. This was a nightmare! He didn’t want Sharon. He didn’t want to be shackled down to her forever. He didn’t need to be fixed! “Stop calling me Stevie! That’s Bucky’s nickname for me!”

“Relax, Stevie!” Tony cut in, grinning at him as he threw his arm around his shoulders. “All men are nervous on their wedding days! But just think how much happier you’re going to be when you let go of the trailer trash. Let Bucky go. He’s no good for you. You’re perfect with Sharon, and I’m sorry I was too blind to see it. You’re happy with her, and you two are going to be wonderful parents someday.”

“SHUT UP!” Steve shouted, trying to throw Tony’s arm off of him. “Stop saying that! Stop saying that I’ll be happy without Bucky! I won’t be! I never will be!”

A new voice cut in, “Then why didn’t you make that decision?”

Steve looked up to the altar, his eyes landing on the figure in front of them. Bucky stood in place of the priest. He was dressed in orange prison jumpsuit, his hands and ankles shackled together. He held the bible in his hands, and across his forehead, the word “Adulterer” had been tattooed into his skin, forever marking him as the man that tried to “steal” Steve away from his fiancee. Steve felt his heart shattering into a thousand pieces at the sight of Bucky; he looked so miserable, so sad… and so _angry_ at Steve for what had happened.

“If you were so happy with me, Stevie… then why didn’t you make that decision before? Why couldn’t you choose? You had to keep stringing two people along, pretending one didn’t exist to the other… Well, one of us won out that fight.” Bucky flipped the bible open, staring down at blank book, except for one hastily scrawled passage across the thin pages. “I hope you are happy with your Princess Buttercup.”

“Bucky…” Steve whimpered. He tried to reach across the altar towards Bucky, begging silently for him to look up from the book. “Bucky... please. I didn’t mean to… I love you!”

A collective gasp raised up over the audience, before they all burst into laughter again. The laughter was loud, oppressive and painful to listen to Steve flinched, crying out at his eardrums rang against the sound.

“You don’t love him,” the congregates began to shout in unison, filling the cavernous void around them. Steve looked up, watching the stained glass in the windows shudder and rattle against their voices. The stained glass depicted broken hearts, fat spoiled children, and overturned and smashed cupcakes, depicting a future of a failed business, unwanted offspring and a lost love that Steve could never get back. “You don’t love someone that you lie to!” The chorus picked up again, jeering Steve as he leaned against the altar weakly. “If you loved him you wouldn’t have lied! You can’t love him! You don’t deserve him! **You don’t deserve him!”**

“STOP!” Steve begged, slamming his hands down onto the altar; still, the jeering went on, unhindered by his outburst. “I DO love him! I do! And I’ll prove it!”

“It’s too late for that, Stevie…” Bucky said sadly. He put the book down on the altar and looked up at Sharon. “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, and to control from this day forward?”

“I Do!” Sharon giggled, bouncing on her heels before her hand went to her belly with a gasp. “HURRY! I THINK THE BABY’S COMING!”

“What?!” Steve exclaimed, his eyes wide as he looked at Sharon in horror. “NO! I DON'T WANT THIS!”

“Stevie... “ Bucky said, seemingly undisturbed by Sharon’s sudden labor pains. “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, and to let go of the one man you knew you were unconditionally in love with?”

Steve looked up at Bucky, his eyes red as he shook his head. But before he could speak, he felt his lips fuse shut, silenced of his own thoughts and opinions forever.

“He does!” Sharon spoke up, wrapping her arms around his and leaning into him as her contractions took over, doubling her up. “He does! Oh God, hurry!”

“Then I pronounce you man and wife... “ Bucky said, slamming the bible shut. “You better take her to the hospital. You have a family to start…”

Steve tried to call for Bucky, but his lips never moved. He was silenced, forever to do as his wife desired and to provide for a child he had not wanted. He looked down at Sharon, watching as she was whisked away from him to deliver their first child. He saw a flurry of movement from the corner of his eye and he looked up in time to see the same police officers dragging Buck away, this time for good. Bucky stared back at Steve, his eyes red and watery as he was dragged bonelessly away from Steve. “MMm!” Steve tried to shout, but his damn fucking lips wouldn’t _move!_  Steve reached out, hoping to motion to the officers, anything to stop them. But when he lifted his left hand, he saw the gold wedding band around his ring finger, and he blanched. It was done. He belonged to Sharon now.

But as he stared at the ring on his hand, he saw something carved into the metal. Upon inspecting it closer, Steve felt his stomach plummeting to the floor. He tried to pull the ring from his finger desperately, but it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he tried. Screaming through his nose in frustration, Steve leaned against the altar, his eyes locked on the ring and it’s horrible inscription he had to look at for the rest of his life. It would forever remind him of the man he lost, and the life he’d carelessly let himself succumb to. The ring only had three words carved into it, but those words would be the undoing of Steve forever:

**_You blew it._ **

~~~~~~

Steve woke up with a scream, sitting bolt upright in his bed. Panting heavily, Steve clawed at his face, his fingers raking over his mouth to feel if his lips were still fused together; to his relief, they were not. He trembled viciously, trying to get air into his lungs as he looked down at his left hand, searching for that offending wedding ring. When he didn’t see it, Steve finally relaxed, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. He slumped back against the headboard of his bed, his head thumping against the wood as he tried to bring his racing heart back down to a calm pace.

“Shit… shit…” he panted, shaking his head as he shook himself from that horrible nightmare. “It was just a dream… just a dream…”

But it really wasn’t, was it? Not if he didn’t tell Sharon the truth about his feelings. Not if he didn’t tell Bucky the truth about Sharon. It would come to pass that eventually one or the other would be hurt by what Steve was doing, and he’d have to face the consequences whether he wanted to or not. Even if he didn’t end up marrying Sharon, he’d lose Bucky too. Either way, he would have blown it if he didn’t come clean and admit that he was juggling both of these people in his life without telling them of the other person.

There was no other way this could go. He had to tell Sharon, _today,_ that their engagement was over, before it was too late.

Taking a few moments to collect himself, Steve stared at the ceiling of his bedroom before snatching his glasses from the side table and kicking his blankets off of his lap. He was still wearing his jeans and the t-shirt Bucky had given him; shit, he’d fallen asleep in his clothing. Which meant he never went to the store like he was supposed to, even at the wee hours of the morning. Which meant Scout was let loose in his apartment without a litter box or food.

“Shit,” Steve grumbled, climbing from the bed and stalking his apartment to look for the wayward kitten. It didn’t take him long to find the white furball, perched on the back of his sofa and staring at him unhappily before uttering a quiet mewl of discontent. Steve stared at the kitten for a moment, before he sighed and scrubbed his fingers through his dirty hair. “Sorry, Scout…” he muttered. As he spoke, he caught whiff of something that smelled distinctly of ammonia, and he turned to see a tiny puddle of urine and a few droppings on the kitchen floor. “Dammit…of course,” he sighed, walking into the kitchen to clean up the mess.

After wiping up the ‘accident’ and tossing the paper towels away, Steve trotted into his bathroom to take a quick shower. He would have to leave early that day to run to the nearest store and buy his kitten a litter box before heading into the shop. His shower was record fast and before he knew it, he was dressed and running a comb through his hair as he reached for his keys and shoved his feet into shoes. It would only take him twenty minutes, tops, to get to the corner store and back with his load. Sure he’d be a little late opening the bakery up, but it was better than leaving his kitten alone in the apartment with no food or a potty to utilize.

So off Steve went, trotting down the sidewalk of his block to the corner store and slipping in behind the shop owner just as she turned the open sign on for the day. He picked up a kitten sized litterbox, some litter, bowls and food, and quickly paid for his purchases before running down the block back to his home. It wasn’t much, but it would at least get Scout started until he could properly go shopping for his little baby’s needs. Maybe Bucky could go with him, and help Steve pick out the best toys for Scout’s pleasure…

“Hey buddy….” Steve cooed as he slipped back into his apartment with his things. “Got you some stuff. Try not to pee on my floor again.” Chuckling slightly, Steve set the litter box down on the floor and scooped out a hefty portion of the grey sand into the bin and spread it about. When he was certain that the box was full enough, he washed his hands of the grainy dust and filled up the two bowls he’d purchased with food and water before setting them down in front of the sink with care. “Alright! Eat up, fluffball.”

Scout didn’t move. Instead, the kitten stared up at his new master, clearly still peeved that he’d had to subject himself to such an embarrassing situation as to pee on the floor. And hungry? Steve was sure the kitten was probably starving, but Scout lay resolutely on the back of the sofa, glaring up at his master with a tiny, kitten-y scorn, and turned away from him to curl into the cushions with contempt. “Sheesh… okay, touchy,” Steve chuckled, stifling a yawn with his fist. Shit, he needed to get coffee… maybe Darcy’s would be open already if he headed out….

But just as he was readying to call Tony and ask him to open the shop up and wait there until he arrived, Steve heard a knock at his door and he looked up in surprise. Who on Earth could be calling on him so early in the morning?

Steve huffed tiredly and slumped over to the door, not bothering to check the peep-hole to see who was standing on the other side. The minute he opened the door, however, he wished he had.

“Sharon?” he blinked, staring at his fiancee for a moment with a blank look on his face. “What are you doing here?”

Sharon giggled, rolling her eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. She adjusted her grip on her usual purse, the top corner of her binder sticking out from the opening to taunt Steve mercilessly from its vantage point. “Visiting my finace on my day off? Why is it a crime to come over just to see you?”

Steve felt a nervous shiver in his chest at her presence, and instantly his mind went back to the dream he’d woken up from. “Uhm… you know it’s 7 in the morning, right?”

“I know!” Sharon replied, pushing her way past the wall that was Steve’s person, and gliding into the room without a care. “I haven’t seen you in a few days, and wanted to see if you were still breathing!”

“Yeah, and answering your phone would have been a good way to find out…” he muttered under his breath, shutting the door with an annoyed huff. However, Steve knew that there would be trouble ahead, even before he turned around. It was pretty common for people to make a bee-line for the living room, as it was the closest room to the front door of his apartment. And with Scout sitting perched on the back of the sofa, it would literally only take seconds before Sharon would realize…

_“Steve!”_

Steve groaned, letting his forehead thump against the door for a second the minute he heard Sharon’s tight voice squeak back to him from the living room just behind him. “Yeah, Shar?” he asked, turning to regard her with a carefully guarded expression.

“Steve… what the hell is that?!” Sharon demanded, turning her attention back to him. She pointed at the living room and the kitten sitting on his sofa with a quaking finger. “What the hell… please tell me you’re babysitting that thing!”

Steve stared at Sharon for a moment, feeling the miniscule urge to back out of this as quickly as possible. However, the second he glanced down at the kitten and saw Scout’s big, soulful eyes staring up at him as if demanding his attention that second, his resolve hardened. No more. He wasn’t going to bend to her whim anymore. Not if he was ending this relationship for good. “… no? He belongs to me.”

“STEVE!” Sharon shouted, her face slack and betrayed. “We talked about this! No pets! Why did you get a cat, you _know_ how poorly a pet would fit into our family! How much did you spend on this thing? I swear to God, Steve, you don’t ever _listen_ to me!”

Steve felt himself bristling a bit, and he squared his shoulders at her. “I didn’t buy him. Someone gave him to me after they rescued him, and I accepted him happily. Why do you even care?”

“Because I’m allergic to cats! And what if our children are allergic to cats, Steve!” Sharon argued, her hands on her hips as she glared up at him.

“You’re not allergic to cats,” Steve quipped back, turning and marching into his kitchen to pack himself some food for the work day ahead. Now he was really going to be late getting into the shop; Tony was going to have his hide for sure.

“Yes I am, Steve! They make my nose itch!”

“Oh, well that’s a shame then, isn’t it…” Steve shot back, not caring in the slightest if she heard him. “Take a Benadryl. Problem solved.”

“Excuse me?” Sharon snapped, marching up behind him. “You don’t talk to me that way. Get rid of the cat, or so help me...”

“I’m not getting rid of the cat, Sharon!” Steve snapped, turning on her and glaring down at the irate blonde in front of him. “I’m keeping Scout. He’s quiet and clean and just wants affection. I’m not letting the pound take him. They’ll euthanize him!”

“As if hundreds of pets aren’t euthanized every day!” Sharon exclaimed, throwing her arms out to the sides. “It’s the way of city life and I’m not about to sacrifice my future family’s health by keeping a mangy feline in our house!”

Steve felt his temper flaring up, but he took a deep breath to calm himself before he truly snapped. “I’m not getting rid of the cat, Sharon. End of story!” Turning away from her, he stuffed his food into a bag, and shouldered it with irritation. “I gotta get to the shop. If you’re coming, then let’s go.”

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a good idea, but Steve knew Sharon. If she was this upset about the cat now, there was no way she was going to let it drop. Breaking up with her while she was already upset was probably not the best idea, but at that moment, Steve really didn’t give a shit.

Briefly, Steve wondered why he didn’t just end it, right then and there. Some niggling part of him felt a sort of anxiety at the idea of finally dropping the ball on her, despite his misgivings and his concern for Bucky. But he wasn’t about to start a huge fight in his apartment when he was already late getting to the shop. If he was going to dump her, he didn’t feel like being a total dick and screwing himself out of some decent business for the day as well.

Sharon stared up at him, her cheeks flushed pink before she shot the kitten one last glare. “Flea-bag…” she grumbled before stalking out of the apartment. “I hope you’re not incredibly busy today, we have a lot of things to talk about for April.”

Steve grit his teeth as he walked, his hand tightening around the handle of his bag. Holy fuck, Sharon was on a roll that day. It took every ounce of strength in Steve not to fly off the handle at her and lay down a reckoning she’d never had in her life. But they were in the hall of the apartment building and the landlord demanded a no-noise policy strictly adhered to. So he chose, against his better judgement, to just stay quiet and let her ramble on.

It didn’t take them long before they finally arrived at the shop; much to Steve’s dismay, Darcy’s coffee shop had had much too long a line to grab himself a coffee like he’d hoped and he had had to bypass his caffeinated salvation for the time being. He’d long since run out of coffee for his shop, and hadn’t had the chance to run to the grocery store to restock. Unfortunately, that meant his patience was hanging by a thin thread that morning, and with each thing Sharon rattled off to him, he felt that thread fraying a little more.

He did his best to remain cool and collected, he really did. But with each page she shoved under his nose while he baked, and each customer she talked over as he served them, Steve knew there was no going about this in a dignified manner.

It was 12 o’clock, when the shoe finally dropped for Steve. Sharon had been sitting on ihs counter for the past three hours, and she was currently punching numbers into a calculator and muttering to herself as she did. At least Steve had gotten a moment’s peace from her rambling. Choosing to not look at her, Steve slipped to the back of the shop and pressed his forehead to the fridge that he kept his premixed batter in, steadying himself. This was it. He was going to do it. He couldn’t handle this anymore, not her incessant talking and obsessing over a wedding that was already falling apart at the seams. It was a bad sign when he’d rather shove her head into the mixing stand and turn the fucker up on high, than listen to her talk about her fucking bridesmaids’ dresses a second longer. It was a warning sign that he couldn’t stop thinking about his dream and how miserable he knew he was going to be if he just bit the bullet and went ahead with this wedding.

It was almost 1 o’clock. Bucky would be coming soon. He had to make this quick.

“Steve are you even listening to me?!” Sharon called, her voice hedged on irritated.

“I can hear you, what is it?!” Steve snapped, lifting his head from the fridge to glare daggers at the doorway.

“No, Steve, you need to come look at this!” Sharon added, and the distinct sound of the calculator clacking down onto the counter could be heard. “Get out here, stop obsessing over that stupid cake batter and come work with me on this!”

That was it. The final thread had been snapped. Seeing red, Steve tore away from the fridge and stormed out to the front of the shop, his hands curled into fists at his sides. “What for!?” He snarled, glaring at her from across the way. “What ever fucking for, Sharon! This whole time, everything that has been planned for this stupid wedding, I’ve had _no_ input on! I couldn’t even pick my own fucking tuxedo for the stupid thing! What could you **_possibly_** want to show me that would have any impact on _your_ fucking wedding?!”

Sharon stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide and jaw slack. Steve felt a thrill of excitement and liberation at her stunned silence after finally having the chance to speak his mind like he should have done months ago.

“So what is it?!” Steve added, storming up to her and jabbing his finger into the binder. “What are you gonna show me?! Some exotic pigeon flight ceremony that’s gonna cost us a couple grand that we don’t even fucking have?! I work way too hard to try and keep this business afloat and you’re just blowing money left and right, trying to make this princess ceremony you want so badly!”

“That’s the thing, Steve!” Sharon finally spoke up, her cheeks dark red as she glared down at him. “You spend so much time at this stupid bakery and it doesn’t even bring in enough money! When you opened this bakery a couple years ago, what did I tell you! It’s a waste of time! It’s not good business! You needed to go back to school and get a business degree so that we could have a stable living. But you went ahead and opened this place up, and now with this wedding we’re drowning in debt! You wasted so much time on this stupid pet project of yours and you can barely afford to pay for your own wedding!”

“ _I TOLD YOU I WANTED A SIMPLE WEDDING, SHARON!”_ Steve shouted, his voice just under a scream of rage. “You went ahead and decided to start planning this elaborate fucking carnival for everyone to admire because what? You’re trying to show up your best friend? Is that what it is?!” Steve tore away from her side, pacing behind the counter, before throwing his hands out. “How dare you say that this bakery is a waste of time. You know this has been a dream of mine for years! You’ve known that this was what I was planning on doing for the rest of my life since college! And I did it! I succeeded! What more could you possibly want for me!”

“I want a perfect life, Steve! I wanted a husband that could support me and children, instead of worrying if your cooking party is going to put food on the table!” Sharon shouted, jumping down from the counter and storming up to him. She jabbed her finger into Steve’s chest, staring up at him with a fire Steve had only seen once before. “I barely see you as it is! What are you going to do when we have children?! Abandon them! Abandon me to take care of them without you? Is that how you want to live?”

Steve stared at her, his eyes wide and his breath spluttering in his chest. Did she really… “Are you fucking kidding me,” he said, ripping his phone out of his pocket and opening his recent call log. Scrolling to Sharon’s name, he pulled up his history and shoved the phone in her face. “Missed calls! No voicemail! Text messages! All of them ignored!”

“You know I work in a hospital, Steve. Or did you conveniently forget that!” Sharon snarled, planting her fists on her hips. “I don’t get good reception! I, unlike you, actually work hard to make a living. How do you think your mother would take it if I told her that of the two of us, I’m the one that puts the most effort into our lives!”

It was everything in Steve not to slap the hell out of her. “You leave my mother out of this, Sharon! And that is no excuse! Bad reception shouldn’t mean your phone is _rejecting_ my calls!”

Sharon turned away from him, her hands slapping down on the glass top counter in front of her in frustration. “You’re always so distant from me anymore! You never want to talk to me! How do you think that makes me feel, me trying to make this wedding perfect for the two of us?!” She asked. This time, her voice quaked slightly as if she was holding back a good cry. But Steve wasn’t buying into it this time.

“No, Sharon!” Steve snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You don’t give a flying fuck about what I want for this wedding! I told you, a white tuxedo with a cumberbunt, or whatever the fuck it’s called, would look bad on me! It _does_ look bad on me, and you’re more concerned about a stupid nose piercing, than that! I told you I wanted a small wedding, but you couldn’t even take that into consideration! I told you I don’t want kids, but you’re going to just go right ahead and make that happen! I just have to go with whatever the fuck you want, when you want it, and how you want it!  I have no say in this relationship! It’s not even a fucking relationship! It’s a fucking dictatorship and it’s crap!”

Silence fell over the bakery at that moment. Sharon stared at Steve, her eyes red and her chest heaving. Finally, she spoke up, a tear running down her cheek. “That’s what this is? It’s crap?! After everything we’ve been through together?” Without warning, Sharon reached out and slapped Steve across the face, her palm cracking across his cheek, before she was tearing away from his side. She stuffed her binder into her bag and threw it over her shoulder before storming around the counter towards the front of the shop. “You can keep your mangy, flea-bitten stray monster. You can keep your stupid bakery, and I hope it goes under and you lose your business! If this is how you’re going to be, then I don’t want to fucking marry you! Piss off, and don’t call me again!’

Steve stared at the wall, his eyes wide and his cheek stinging sharply. But her last jab only roused him again and he whirled on her, his face red in fury as he screamed after her. “HOW CAN I FUCKING CALL YOU WHEN YOU REJECT MY CALLS,” he shouted, but it seemed that Sharon had had the last word after all. She had slammed out of the door before he could even finish his sentence.

Panting heavily, Steve reached up and touched his sore cheek, feeling the heat ebbing off of his skin from the irritation. That… that had not gone like he planned, at all. What was supposed to have been a semi-dignified break up, had devolved into the worst screaming match Steve had ever been a part of. Fuck, even his throat hurt from the intensity of it all.

But it was over. They were finally broken up, just like he’d wanted.

And yet, deep down, Steve couldn’t help but feel even just the slightest bit hurt that Sharon had dumped him. Maybe it had been because he wasn’t the one behind the trigger of ending their relationship, but Steve actually felt a little low that he had become the dumpee, not the dumper. And now this internal debate was just _not_ helping his mood at all. This was supposed to be a lucky moment, a chance to break away from a loveless relationship and be with the guy he really wanted to be with,and here he stood feeling pissed off and just the slightest bit rejected.

Growling in frustration, Steve turned away from the door and rubbed his palm over his cheek in frustration, grabbing a mixing bowl from behind the counter and began haphazardly mixing up more batter for his upcoming Monday morning. He whisked and stirred with the intensity of a madman, splattering cake batter everywhere, but he didn’t fucking care. He was just too furious at the whole turn of events. He was tired, he was pissed, and now seriously wondering why he’d gotten up out of bed at all that day.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the clock across the room, nor the shadow of the familiar figure making his way across the street for his usual, daily visit…

* * *

 

Bucky tossed his rag onto the workshop table, grinning to himself as he trotted into the break room to grab his wallet. This was it. He felt confident that after the night before, Bucky could finally, _finally_ ask Steve out on a proper date. He was sure that Steve would accept after the kisses they’d shared. He felt giddy, nervous, and elated all at once, and the prospect of asking Steve out made him shiver with delight. This was it. The moment of truth.

In the break room, Bucky found Brock standing at the watercooler again, thumb gliding over his phone as he smiled down at the device with a half-tired grin on his face. “Yo, what are you grinnin’ at?” Bucky asked, cheesing up his smile as he knuckled his friend’s shoulder.

“Nothin’ that’s yer business, punk.” Brock said, stuffing his phone into his pocket, before he grabbed a comb from his locker and began to run it through his dark hair with a careful hand.

Bucky looked up at Brock, his eyes landing on him for a moment. Brock was out of uniform, which meant he was leaving for the day. And he was actually combing his hair. That only meant one thing. “Holy shit you got a date tonight!” Bucky laughed, throwing his arm around Brock’s shoulder and giving him a squeeze. “My old man’s goin’ out on a date! I gotta tell everyone!” Bucky turned and called out from the break room, his hands cupped over his mouth. “BROCK’S GOT A DATE, PASS IT ON!!”

“AW QUIET YOU!” Brock growled, yanking Bucky into a Full Nelson and dragging him away from the door of the break room. “I swear to God, someday I’m gonna kick yer teeth down yer throat, you little shit!”

No sooner had he done so, Clint walked into the break room to grab some water. His eyes landed on the two of them, Bucky with his arms held up beside his head and his face turning pink with laughter, and Brock’s expression murderous as he held him still. “I’m not even gonna ask…” Clint muttered, grabbing some water and slipping out of the break room, leaving the two of them alone again.

Bucky laughed, twisting as best as he could in Brock’s grip to look up at him. “Soooo... who is it?” Bucky asked sweetly, not bothering to wriggle his arms free from Brock’ grip. He’d learned long ago not to bother; Brock watched way too much wrestling and knew way too many ways to incapacitate a man. Besides, Bucky wouldn’t ever admit it, but the old man was twice as strong as he was and could put him in his place without much of a thought. Bucky liked Brock too much to try and one up that guy; Brock had a sensitive ego, it seemed. “Oh no, wait lemme guess. It’s that hot little bartender ain’t it?!”

Brock sighed, letting go of his younger friend finally and stepping away from him. “Yeah, it’s her. Guess I was feelin’ a little inspired by you and loverboy over there and wanted to get my foot back in the datin’ game. Dunno how’s it's gonna go though…”

“Don’ you dare say she’s outta yer league, Brock.” Bucky snickered, punching him in the shoulder.

“I wasn’t! I was gonna say she’s… a little younger than me?”

“So?” Bucky asked, looking up at him and shrugging a shoulder. “You ain’t that old. 39 ain’t old. And she’s what, 30? 32? That ain’t bad!” Bucky gave Brock a careful look, and his lips cracked into a shit-eating smile. “Also… you don’t gotta dye yer hair to cover up the grey, you know. Some chicks think it’s distinguished lookin’.”

Brock smirked, leaning his hip against the lockers and regarding Bucky carefully. “I didn’ dye my hair.”

“Sure you didn’.” Bucky chuckled,  snatching his wallet out of his locker and stuffing it into his pockets. “Go get ready, cowboy. Have a good time, be a gentleman and all that stuff. And hands above the waist on the first date.”

“I ain’t gonna say no if she gets handsy, you know that.” Brock said innocently, holding his palms out to Bucky. “It’s nature, man. S’all I’m sayin.” With that, Brock slipped from the break room, leaving Bucky alone for a brief moment. He poked his head back in, looking slightly sheepish before he pointed at his temple. “S’temporary dye. I’m washin’ it out. You tell anyone and I’ll clock you.”

“Yer secret is safe with me.” Bucky beamed, waving at him as Brock slipped back out of the room and left him alone for the afternoon. With his wallet in his pocket and a skip in his step, Bucky slipped from the garage and jogged across the street, eager to see Steve again after the night before. He pushed his hand through his hair to brush the strands from his eyes, and stepped into the gloriously air conditioned bakery. But when he looked up at the counter, Bucky’s happiness melted away instantly to concern.

Holy shit, Steve looked pissed.

“Uh…” Bucky said, watching with worry as Steve beat some cake batter to death in a bowl, his face a red mask of anger. “You… you okay there, Stevie?”

Steve looked up from his bowl, his vicious glare leveled on Bucky for a brief second. Holy fuck, Bucky had never felt so exposed in all his life. He slunk back a bit at the angry look he got from Steve, feeling his heart dropping into his stomach a bit. Steve looked like he was furious at Bucky. Maybe it had been about the night before. Maybe Bucky had pushed Steve past where he was comfortable, and now Steve was having second thoughts about him. “Hi,” Steve said in a clipped tone, looking down at the bowl again before shoving it with a metallic clang onto the counter.

Bucky flinched at the loud sound, and he looked down at the floor. Okay, he’d seriously done something wrong if Steve looked like he wanted to kick him out of the bakery. There went asking him out on that date... “… are you mad at me?” he asked, looking up at Steve before tentatively crossing the room towards him. “Did I do somethin’ wrong?”

“ _No_ , Bucky you didn’t do anything wrong!” Steve snapped, glaring up at him before turning his back to him. “It’s not about you, okay, so just drop it!”

Bucky stared at him, his eyes wide for a moment before he felt a flicker of indignation in his chest.  He stepped up to the counter and planted his hands on the glass to stare at Steve’s back. “Then what the hell is yer problem?” Bucky asked, glaring at his back. He, however, kept his temper in check. If something was bothering Steve, then he really didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Instead, Bucky wanted to help Steve calm down and work through this problem, instead of just fuming about it. “Okay, what is it? I ain’t never seen you this mad before and we’ve been talkin’ for weeks now.”

“Okay, first of all,” Steve growled, turning to face Bucky and crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s not ‘I ain’t never,’. It’s ‘I have never,’. Please use proper grammar for God’s sake. And second of all, it’s none of your damn business what’s bothering me!”

Bucky felt a bloom of hurt in his chest at Steve’s sudden outburst, and he stared at him, completely gobsmacked at his insult. Standing straight up, Bucky glared at Steve from the other side of the counter, and crossed _his_ arms in return. “You kiddin’ me? Yer gonna throw that card at me, when I just wanna help you? You didn’ seem t’have an issue with it, yesterday! What the hell is eatin’ you?!”

Steve stared at Bucky for a moment, and his anger seemed to abate some, replaced with the tiniest sliver of shame. But he kept his resolve, and simply turned away from Bucky, throwing his hands up in frustration. “You know, I don’t have time for this today! If you’re gonna buy your stupid cupcake, then buy it! Otherwise, please go!” With that, Steve picked up the bowl he’d been beating to death and stormed into the back of the bakery, leaving Bucky standing stunned in the front of the shop like he’d just been slapped across the face.

“... well hope you get whatever the hell’s up yer ass out of there safely!” Bucky shouted back at him, fury bubbling up his chest before he turned away from the counter. “Jesus christ! You got a temper tantrum somethin’ awful! Whatever’s buggin’ you, you don’t take it out on other people. So fine! Have a good day then!”

However, before Bucky made it two steps towards the door, he heard a sudden, thunderous crash coming from the back of the shop, followed by the solid sound of a body hitting the floor. Instantly, Bucky’s fury melted away to fright, and he whirled on his heel, rushing to see if Steve was alright. “Steve!” Bucky shouted, skirting into the back of the shop. He expected to see something bad. Maybe Steve laid out on the floor, unconscious. Blood, maybe.

But that’s not what he found. Instead, he found Steve sitting on the floor, his knees drawn up and his elbows resting on them. He held his head in his hands with his shoulders trembling just slightly, looking the epitome of defeat and he was covered in a thin layer of flour. Flour covered his clothing, his hair, his glasses, and his face and arms. The step stool he’d been standing on was sideways on the floor, and that had a fine layer of flour on it as well. The bowl he’d been holding was overturned, batter splattered across the floor in a thick, sticky mess, and the whole scene was just… just sad looking.

So naturally Bucky laughed. He burst into a fit of laughter, clapping his hands on his knees as he doubled up, utterly relieved to see Steve was alright, save for his bruised ego and his ruined clothing. He cackled helplessly, feeling slightly better when Steve just shot him a withering look and buried his face in his hands again.

“Oh Great. Good, Buck, just keep laughing at me!” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “I’m already having a shitty day as it is, just keep rubbing it in why don’t you...”

“I ain’t laughin’ at you.” Bucky said, finally getting his giggles under control. He dropped down next to Steve and placed his hand on his back, giving his spine a gentle rub. “I’m just… I’m glad to see yer okay. I heard the crash and thought you got real hurt! What happened?”

Steve sighed, sitting up and plucking his glasses from his face. He had a perfect glasses outline of flour on his face from the crash, and he scrubbed his hand over his face to try and clear the powder away as much as possible. “I was trying to get a new bag down from the shelf and the leg of the stool broke. The whole thing came down on my head at once.” Sure enough to their right, Bucky could see what remained of the flour bag, the impact having torn the paper open until the flour was an explosion across the room.

Bucky grinned, and shook his head. He sat down next to Steve, and wrapped his legs around his hips to pull him back against his chest. This time, Steve didn’t fight him, and simply slumped back against his chest in upset. “Oh, Stevie… sounds like you really _are_ havin’ a bad day,” he said. Brushing his fingers through Steve's hair, Bucky combed out as much of the flour as he could, and pressed his chin to his shoulder in a soothing gesture. “Just breathe. It’s all a’right. It’s just flour.”

All the tension in Steve’s body went out of him in an instant, and he curled into Bucky’s chest tiredly. Covered in flour or not, Steve cuddled right up to Bucky’s chest, and Bucky saw with delight as his companion closed his eyes and settled into his front for the comfort he was clearly seeking. The two of them didn’t speak for a moment, just relishing the moment of having each other to soothe away their tempers and misgivings. Bucky smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Steve’s head, and simply held him for a moment.

“I’m sorry…” Steve muttered, sadly. Bucky blinked and looked down at his companion, clearly confused as to what he was talking about. “I’m sorry I insulted you like that. It was really cruel of me. I don’t know why I said that.”

Bucky listened, feeling a little satisfied that Steve had so openly and so quickly admitted his fault. “I know I ain’t as smart as everyone else. Especially not yer friends. I’m pretty well aware of th’fact that I don’t talk properly like everyone else. But… it’s okay. Yer havin’ a bad day, and I get that. Sometimes people say shit they don’ mean when they’re upset.”

“But you _are_ just as smart as everyone else!” Steve argued. He looked up at Bucky and frowned. “You’re ridiculously brilliant. A little rough around the edges, but I like that! I’m so sorry I hurt your feelings like that. I won’t ever do it again.”

Bucky smirked and shook his head. “I ain’t ‘smart’ like what people think. But… I ain’t gonna dwell on it right now. It’s over and done with, and you really look like you need the hell snuggled out of ya.” With that, Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist and tugged him back against his chest, tickling his ribs incessantly as he grinned.

Steve squawked, flailing in Bucky’s grip as he tried to escape those prying fingers. “NO!” Steve howled, laughing at the ticklish assault that kept him pinned to Bucky’s chest. “No, no, no! Lemme go!”

“I’ll let ya go if you say you look like a flour covered raccoon!” Bucky countered, tickling Steve’s ribs harder. He wrapped his legs around Steve’s waist, keeping himself fully pinned to his back as he raked over his sides with his fingernails.

“Never!’ Steve wheezed, cackling loudly as his fingers clawed at Bucky’s arms. “I will literally piss on you if you keep that up!” Steve gasped through peals of laughter, looking a healthier shade of pink in the cheeks as he fought against him.

“Oooh kinky. Didn’ know you were into that,” Bucky grinned, though he did lean in to catch Steve’s attention. “Fine! I’ll let you go if you say you’ll go out on a date with me tonight!”

Steve went still despite the fingers raking over his sides and he stared at Bucky with wide eyes. Bucky stopped what he was doing, his arms and legs still wrapped loosely around Steve’s waist. “What?” Steve asked, taking a few deep breaths to calm his breathing. “You what?”

Bucky smiled, his hands moving to plant into the floury floor behind him for support. “Go out on a date with me tonight. I mean a real date, like with drinks and flowers and stuff. I promise I won’ be creepy and look up yer skirt,” Bucky added, flashing him a toothy grin.

Steve snorted, sitting forward so he could turn around and properly look at Bucky. “You already drank up all the beer I bought you? Lush,” he teased him, though his eyes told a different story. Bucky felt a shiver of delight up his spine at the sight of that look: Steve was going to say yes.

“Yeaah, well when yer dealin’ with crazy people all day every day, a man leans to drinkin’ to forget his woes,” Bucky said, giving a dainty sniff before shaking his head. “It’s a tragedy.” The two of them chuckled for a moment before Bucky scratched the side of his neck carefully. “So… do you wanna go on a date with me tonight?” he asked, sounding far more hopeful than he had anticipated on sounding.

Steve stared at him, his lips cracking into a bright smile. Seemingly the last of his tension melted away to nothing, and he leaned in quickly, throwing his arm around Bucky’s neck. Bucky felt himself tugged forward and their lips crashed together in a kiss, eager and hungry. Bucky grinned into the kiss, licking his way into Steve’s mouth happily as he threaded his fingers into the back of Steve’s dirty shirt. The kiss was warm and inviting, and Bucky fought the moan that wanted to leave him. Steve was eager, his tongue prodding into Bucky’s mouth and seeking out some affection; their lips glided and caressed in a happy dance, plush flesh and nipping teeth drawing each other in with each frantic breath they took.

But it wasn’t… quite right. After a moment, Bucky broke away, pressing his forehead to Steve’s with a coy grin on his face. “Ya know… flour tastes fuckin’ disgusting when it’s raw,” he said, licking his lips where there was still some caked on his skin from the intensity of the kiss. He made a face at the bland, earthy flavor on his tongue and he snorted, brushing his fingers along Steve’s cheek to clear away some of the white powder from his skin.

Steve nodded, laughing through his nose as he made the same face in return. “I think you’re right. Sorry…” he chuckled, leaning back to press his palms to the floor behind him.

“‘ey it ain’t yer fault. We’ll blame the stepstool for cockblockin’ us both.” Bucky replied, standing up. He reached down, extending his hand to Steve with that same, shy smile on his lips. “C’mon, get up. I’ll get you a rag from the bathroom or somethin’ so you look half decent the rest of the day.”

“There’s no way a rag is gonna clean all of this up,” Steve sighed, getting to his feet. He ran his hands down his front, beating some of the flour off of his shirt, and scrubbing his fingers through his hair to get what he could out of it.

“Nah, but it’ll at least add to the aesthetic of where you work.” Bucky replied; he slipped to the bathroom of the shop, grabbing a roll of paper towels. He soaked a few of them in water, and then carried the rest of the roll under his arm as he walked back out to where Steve was staring mournfully down at the mess on the floor. “I take it yer gonna have to tell Tony about this, huh?”

“Yep,” Steve sighed, taking the wet paper towels and running them over his face and arms to clean up the white residue. When he’d managed to get at least his skin clean, he took a few dry towels and dabbed away the water as best as he could. “It’s not exactly expensive when I lose an entire bag’s worth of flour, but the batter is gonna hurt a little. That had pure vanilla in it. Not the artificial stuff.”

Bucky nodded, though he really didn’t have an idea of how much that actually cost. “I getcha. Well... tell him the truth? You fell. Maybe he’ll go easy on ya,” Bucky offered, leaning his hip against the fridge as he watched Steve grab a broom to sweep up the mess. “Why don’tcha go mix up some more batter. I can clean this up.”

“Bucky, you don’t have to do that,” Steve said, looking up at him with a frown. “It’s your break, you shouldn’t have to work on your break.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t have to work on my day off yesterday, but I did anyway.” Bucky said, holding his hand out for the broom. “Gimme.”

Steve stared at him, his fingers wrapped tightly around the broom for a moment as if he were actually going to fight Bucky on it. But after a moment, he relented and passed off the broom with a sigh. “Okay, fine,” he muttered, turning away to grab a new bottle of vanilla from the fridge. “So what time do you wanna meet tonight for this date? I can close up a little early so I can run home and get cleaned up properly.”

Bucky shrugged, thinking it over as he swept up the dry stuff into a pile to be thrown away. Once he’d done so, he plucked up the dustpan and discarded the powder into the trash before walking to the broom closet to find a mop. “Uhm… I dunno, 8 sound good to you? We can meet up at that bar we were at that other night we went out. It’s called the Red Star tavern. It’s pretty upscale, so it’d be real nice for a first official date.”

Steve made an affirmative noise as he gathered up his supplies and set them on a work table to begin distributing the proper servings into the mixing bowl. “Sounds great to me. I could use a drink something fierce anyway.”

Bucky beamed, feeling his chest shivering at the thought of a proper date looming so close. He looked up at Steve, flashing him a bright smile. “Great! I’ll make sure there ain’t no stepstools to foil our plans for the night.” Mopping up the last of the mess, Bucky pushed the broom handle into the corner, ready to take it out back and hose it off properly. “Seriously, though, you okay? You kinda hit hard, from what I could hear. No bruises?”

Steve shook his head, his earlier anger completely gone as he smiled at Bucky with a wistful gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just embarrassed that’s all. I’ve hit a lot harder than that before.” With his bowl full and ready to be mixed, Steve turned and beamed at his friend, his eyes darting down to his lips for a moment. “You’ve got flour on your chin.”

Bucky cursed, rubbing the back of his hand on his chin before leveling Steve with a look. “How dare you. You menace. You got me all dirty, what with my clean, tight-knit job as it is!” he accused, pointing a finger at him. When Steve laughed, Bucky slipped across the room, threading his arm around his waist and tugging him into a kiss. This time, the kiss was chaste and sweet, but held no less intensity as he nuzzled up to his front. “I know I’m supposed to wait until the date to kiss ya, but… I can’t help myself. Yer too precious,” he murmured against his lips, grinning up at him.

Steve flushed pink, but didn’t argue. Instead, he smiled down at him and pressed a peck kiss to the tip of Bucky’s nose. “Go on, get outta here. Your thirty minutes is up.”

Bucky nodded, pulling away with reluctance. “Yeah I can’t stay around right now. Brock left early for the day a’ready. The old fuck’s got himself a date tonight too. I never seen a nearly 40 year old man look so excited in my life.”

Steve laughed, following Bucky out to the front of the shop. “No kidding! Good for him!” he replied, placing the bowl down onto the counter so he could add his last minute ingredients before transferring the batter to cupcake tins. The two of them fell silent for a moment, before he spoke up again. “Well… I hope his date goes as well as ours does,” he added, giving Bucky a confident wink.

Bucky felt himself flushing pink, but he winked back at Steve, and leaned over the counter to plant one last kiss on his cheek. “I doubt it will. But yer confidence in him his overwhelmin’,” he added, before leaning back to turn for the door. “See you at 8 tonight, Stevie!”

But before he made it to the door, Bucky stopped. “OH! I almost forgot.” Turning back to the counter, Bucky trotted up to Steve and reached out. “Gimme yer phone. We should swap numbers, just in case one of us is gonna be late. I dunno why I didn’t get yer number sooner.”

Steve nodded, reaching out and taking Bucky’s phone from him in return, and punched his number into the device. “Good idea. Alright go, before Clint yells at you! I don’t want you getting grounded before we go out tonight.”

Bucky snorted looking over his shoulder. His chest felt lighter than air as he glanced to the garage. Only a few more hours before he got to properly take Steve out on their first official date. He couldn’t fucking believe it. “If he tries I’ll just make ‘im drink Southern Comfort. I got no clue why he’s got such a hate for that, but it’s a good way to pay him back when he’s bein’ a dick.”

Steve nodded, and handed Bucky his phone back. “Good to know, just in case I need to do that in the future.”

Bucky laughed and turned for the door, tossing a wave over his shoulder as he slipped out of the bakery. He fought like hell not to look back at Steve as he walked, but his eyes couldn’t navigate away from him for one second. He looked back over his shoulder to see Steve watching him through the glass, and he grinned, pulling out his phone to shoot Steve a text. He barely paid attention as he walked into the garage, his eyes locked on his phone the whole time, and he ran smack into Natasha. Stumbling backwards, he looked up at her, and grinned. “Sorry, Nat.”

“It’s okay, just reckless driving,” she said, straightening out the papers she’d been carrying. “What’s with the giddy smile?”

Bucky grinned and shrugged, stuffing his phone into his pocket. But no sooner had he done so, he felt his phone buzzing again, and he plucked it right back out to reply to Steve. “Nothin’. Just got a date with Steve tonight.”

Natasha blanched, her eyes wide before she laughed. “Well look at you! I think that’s a good reason to smile. Where are you two going?”

“The Red Star. Think it’s okay if I slip out an hour early tonight, so I can get cleaned up?”

Natasha nodded, looking down at her charts before beaming up at him. “I think that’s okay, yeah. If anything I’ll stick around for an hour just in case.” Pulling her chart back into her chest, Natasha winked. “Seems to be an epidemic of dates tonight. I’ll have to watch my back.”

“Yeah, just in case Clint decides to get any funny ideas and asks you out now,” Bucky shot back, grinning at his best friend before pulling her into a hug.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but smiled as she swatted his backside with the clipboard. “Shut up, you. Go finish Brock’s car so you can get outta here on time. I expect a call, and behave yourself, okay?”

Bucky beamed and answered the newest text he got from Steve, beaming at his phone as he slipped past her. “Thanks Nat! I owe ya one!” With that, he slipped past her to his work station, putting his phone down on the work table so he could keep an eye on it for any new messages. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and despite the hiccup between them earlier, Bucky was pretty sure that Steve was just as excited as he was.

Holy shit… he was going on a date with Steve Rogers! Bucky laughed to himself as he plucked up his tools and turned for the car to finish up the job left behind for him. He honestly felt like the luckiest guy in the world right now. Fuck, he hoped this date went well. It had to. There was just no other way it could go.

* * *

 

 

Steve stared down at his phone, feeling his palms sweating just slightly. He really didn't have a reason to feel so nervous; it was just Bucky! Amazing, beautiful, hot as hell, Bucky Barnes. He’d been dreaming of this opportunity for weeks now, and now that it was presented before him, he was getting nervous? What the hell was wrong with him?

Steve sighed, putting the phone down and rubbing his hand over his face as he looked up at himself in his reflection. He’d been standing in the bathroom for the past 20 minutes, working up the courage to actually leave and go on his date already, but his feet felt glued to the floor all over again. Was he rushing this? Sharon had just dumped him… wasn’t he supposed to be in some sort of grieving period, instead of getting ready for a date with his hot mechanic?

Steve shook his head, trying to quell those thoughts before they got any further out of hand. He couldn’t bail on Bucky. Not after yelling at him earlier. Fucking hell, he still felt like a total dick for being such a bitch to him, when Bucky had done absolutely _nothing_ to warrant such behavior. Seeing Buck’s hurt expression after such an unnecessary temper tantrum had hurt more than Steve could really even admit, but… he didn’t like seeing that look on Bucky’s face. He never wanted to put it there again.

Sighing to himself, Steve stood up straight and really looked himself over. Steve had changed out his nose piercing to a little silver stud, deciding to break out the nicer piercing for the occasion, instead of his usual acrylic one. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater with a white undershirt showing from the collar. He turned sideways, examining his physique in the mirror. His jeans were the nicest pair he owned, and true to Buck’s request, they showed off the profile of his ass nicely. Smiling to himself, Steve turned to face the mirror again, briefly wondering if he’d be too hot in a sweater. Maybe… it was pretty warm out still. The last thing he needed was to get himself sweating like a fucking pig in front of Bucky and embarrass himself further.

With that thought in mind, Steve slipped back into his bedroom and began rifling through his clothing, looking for a shirt that was breathable and still flattering. It had to go with the jeans, and his shoes. It had to be sexy. Fuck, he didn’t want to fuck this up more than he already had.

After a few minutes, Steve finally found a shirt that he thought would look decent. It was a simple t-shirt, but it was one of his nicest ones. He could toss a leather jacket over it and take it off if he got too hot, and he’d still look stylish. This could work. Whipping his sweater and undershirt off, Steve slipped into the new top and fished his jacket from the closet, slipping it on with a careful hand.

There. Now he felt better.

“Perfect….” he murmured to himself. He brushed his fingers through his hair, getting the blond strands to stand up in just the right way that made it look sexy without trying too hard. He had to make an impression, dammit. Bucky saw him enough times not looking his best that he wanted to make up for all those moments as best as he could. When he felt satisfied that his hair looked good, he reached up to pluck his glasses from his face and replace them with contacts. Then he stopped. Bucky liked his glasses. He didn’t want to take that away from Bucky that night.

After a few more minutes of fussing, Steve felt that he was finally ready, and gave himself one last once-over, straightening out any wrinkles he found in his shirt. He finally stuffed his wallet into his pocket, and slipped from the bedroom to grab the flowers he’d picked up from the shop on his way home. He didn’t really know what kind of flowers Bucky liked, but the red roses looked like they would go great with Bucky’s aesthetic. Maybe he could put them on the side table next to the TV. They’d look good there…

But just as he slipped into the kitchen to grab the flowers from the fridge, he heard Scout’s pitiful little mewl, and he looked down to see the kitten sitting _in_ his food bowl, looking up at Steve with a plaintive little inquiry. “Hungry, buddy?” Steve chuckled. He dropped down to his knee and plucked the kitten from the bowl, and set him down next to it so he could get a scoop of food from the bag.

Steve watched with a faint smile as Scout pounced on his bowl, scarfing down the kibble he’d poured in with a hungry intent. Steve sat still, running his fingers up and down the kitten’s back as he ate, and his smile faded away. “You’re not a flea-bag. You’re perfect…” he murmured. His mind wandered back to Sharon for a moment, and he felt that residual hurt from earlier worming its way into his chest. He didn’t feel hurt that Sharon had left him. He felt hurt that he’d let himself fall so deeply into the pit with her in the first place, that the only way they could separate was through a screaming match. Sure, it got him a date with Bucky in the end, but he didn’t like that it had to come at the cost of hurt feelings.

And that was just the kicker. He didn’t know if he was moving too fast, still! Maybe he was supposed to wait a little while longer before going out with Bucky. What good did it do anyone of them, going out on a date with his love interest, just 8 hours after he and Sharon broke up in an ugly fight? How many more feelings were going to get hurt if word of this got out to anyone? Steve honestly didn’t think any of Sharon’s friends went to tavern’s like the Red Star, but it would just be his luck if he was spotted by anyone. What would Bucky think if he found out that part of why Steve had agreed to a date so quickly was because he was feeling bitter towards his ex? What if Bucky had second thoughts about Steve and left him (and that was just odd, thinking of Bucky’s as ‘his’ before they’d even gone out officially yet…) Maybe he should have waited… gone out with Bucky when he was in a better place, mentally…

“No,” Steve shook himself, firmly seating himself in his resolution. “It’s not wrong. I don't have to hang around after her. We’re done; that’s that.” Steve ran his fingers up and down Scout’s back a moment more and then got to his feet to retrieve the flowers from the fridge. With his bouquet in hand, Steve straightened his shoulders out and took a deep breath, steadying the nervous, excited bubble that formed in his chest. A smile came to his lips as he thought of Bucky and what the night could possibly entail from this moment on.

No. No dwelling. No thinking too hard about it. That’s what got him in trouble in the first place. For the first time, Steve pushed his anxiety from his mind and slipped from the apartment, ready to just let the night take him where it would. Bucky would be there. Bucky wouldn’t let him ruin this night. It was a night to fall even more in love; it was a night to not worry about what the next day would bring. Steve wasn’t a reckless man. But that sort of abandon…

Now that was something he could let himself recklessly do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... hey, guess what, guys... guess what...
> 
> SMUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!! YEAAAAHHH CHAPTER 7 BREAKS THE FIC'S CHERRY GUYS! WOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!


	7. SMS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of text messages from the side of one James Bucky Barnes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. After i borrowed a friend to utilize for just a couple texts for the upcoming chapter of this story, it sort of got out of hand, and we had too much fun with them. So. Since they still tie into the story, I decided to use them anyway! 
> 
> P.s. Bucky texts like a 13 year old girl, and is obsessed with memes. Just go with it XD

**Three days before "The Date"**

  

 

 

**Two days before "The Date"**

 

 

**The Day of "The Date"**

** **

** **

** **

** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW onto the real chapter!


	8. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve's date takes off with only a minor hitch in the beginning. After that... who knows where their romance could take them. Bucky and Steve have no clue, but they're both willing to find out, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUZZAAAHHH I FINALLY GOT TO UPDATE THIS STORY!!
> 
> Im so sorry for the delay. I ended up getting a new job and I've been in trainings for the past two weeks, which took away a LOT of my writing time. Hopefully that slump is now over and I can update my works in a more timely fashion.
> 
> Anyway! The chapter you all were waiting for! THE SMUT HAS ARRIVED! ENJOY!

Outside the Red Star Tavern, Bucky leaned back against the brick wall, his foot propped up as he scrolled through his phone absentmindedly. Every so often, when he heard footsteps approaching, he would look up to see if Steve had finally arrived, only to find himself thoroughly disappointed when that was not the case.

‘ _It’s only 8:15…_ ’ he thought to himself hopefully, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. ‘ _He could just be runnin’ late… he didn’t stand ya up…’_

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Never did Bucky snatch at his pocket so quickly in his life. Maybe that was Steve, telling him he’d run into traffic. Or that he had to close the shop late and hadn’t gotten a chance to shower yet. All reasonably perfect options for being late.

But once again Bucky found himself disappointed. It wasn’t Steve. Rather, Clint had texted him, sending a slew of smiley and winky faces as he inquired about his date so far and if he’d gotten to second base yet. Normally, Bucky didn't mind such teasing messages. But as the minutes ticked by and still there was no sign of Steve, Bucky was beginning to lose hope that Steve actually wanted to go out with him. ‘ _Maybe he’s still too mad about earlier… coulda just said yes so that I’d leave ‘im alone…’_

_ _

_ _

Bucky sighed, shoving his phone back into his pocket. Steve was now 40 minutes late for their date, and he hadn’t even gotten a text from him saying that he would be late. Now feeling absolutely dejected, Bucky stood up from the wall, half tempted to just toss the flowers in his hand into the trash can and call it a night.

Before he even made it two steps towards the trash, he heard a familiar voice calling to him, and he looked up with surprise on his face. Surprise that quickly melted into delight. Steve had shown up!

“HEY!” Bucky called, waving his hand at him happily. He quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and typed up a text to Clint; the message was accented with an appropriate amount of exclamation points and he hit send before his phone buzzed again, almost instantly in his palm.

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Bucky snorted in laughter, ignoring the text as he held his flowers behind his back for Steve. He turned in time to see his date threading his way through the semi-crowded sidewalk from the parking lot, and he beamed at him. “Hey! Thought I was gonna hafta send a rescue party to find ya!” he said, throwing his arm around Steve’s shoulders and hugging him close.

Steve grinned, giving Bucky a one-armed hug in return. “I’m so sorry, but there was traffic coming here. Apparently there was a bad accident on Belt Parkway, so cops were redirecting cars off the highway and onto the side roads. I would have called you, but my phone died,” he explained, looking heavily apologetic as he gazed at him.

Bucky laughed in outright relief. Of course it had been something stupidly simple. Of course Steve wouldn’tstand him up. Feeling much better about himself, Bucky shrugged a shoulder and looked down at the ground. “Aw it ain’t nothin’ Stevie. I’m just glad yer alright. “

Steve still looked apologetic, his eyes darting up to Bucky’s face as he frowned. “I still feel really bad. I should’vecharged my phone at the shop today. Looks like I can really mess up a whole day, huh?” he muttered, tugging on the lapel of his leather jacket.

Bucky shook his head, letting his eyes roam over his date for a moment. _Shit_ , Steve had good style. Bucky actually felt a little underdressed now. Sure, he’d grabbed his best jeans and sneakers for the evening, but he’d chosen to wear a brightly colored t-shirt with abstract art smattered across the front, and his silver piercings for the occasion. He looked more like he was going out with his buddies, than a date that night. No wonder people were giving him weird looks. “Nah. You don’t mess nothin’ up. But if yer feelin’ real bad, I got somethin’ that should cheer ya right up.” With a grin, Bucky produced his flowers with a flourish, holding up the bouquet of daisies and lilacs with a bright smile on his face. “I was gonna bring you lilies but then I remembered you got a cat now. Lilies can be poisonous to cats,” he stated, matter-of-factly as he held up the bouquet expectantly. “Toldja it was gonna be a flower sort of thing tonight!”

But Steve didn’t take the flowers at first. Instead, he stared at them for a moment, awed and humored before he broke into laughter. Just as Bucky was beginning to think he’d taken this date a little _too_ far, Steve spoke up through his giggles. “Oh God… well this is awkward,” Steve snickered.

Before Bucky could question what he meant by that, he saw Steve withdraw his hand from behind his back and hold up his own bouquet, this time of deep red roses, and offering him a sheepish smile at his present. Bucky barked a laugh, looking up at him with total admiration. “Coupla fuckin’ saps ain’t we?” he mused, feeling his cheeks flushing in admiration.

They swapped bouquets then, and Bucky took a moment to take a good whiff of the rosy scent with delight. Figured, Steve would be romantic enough to go straight for the roses. “These are nice...” he said, smiling to himself. Real nice, Bucky wagered. He had no idea where Steve got them from, but they didn’t have a spot of wilting on them anywhere. Now he felt almost bad that his gift looked so pale in comparison to the deep, crimson hue overshadowing his own pale flowers...

But before Bucky could contemplate that further, Steve piped up, sounding happier than Bucky expected. “Hey, I love lilacs!” Steve exclaimed with a giddy smile. He took a happy sniff and threw his arms around Bucky’s shoulders happily, holding him tightly to his chest. “I’ll put them next to my bed. Thank you, Bucky. I love them.”

Bucky shivered in delight, smiling broadly as he listened to Steve’s praise with a smile on his lips. When he accidentally pricked his thumb on a thorn, only then did Bucky snap back to the present, and he giggled. “Well, get over here! This ain’t a gardenin’ club!” Without another word, Bucky pulled Steve down into a kiss, their lips meeting briefly before he let go of him. He hoped it wasn’t too soon into the date to initiate a kiss… but dammit, did he miss the feel of those lips on his.

Clearly, from the look left behind on Steve’s face, he’d missed it too. “C’mon, Romeo,” Bucky grinned, threading his fingers in with Steve’s hand. “Let’s go put the flowers in the cars so they don’ get crushed and grab a table. I’m starvin’!”

With that, the two of them dropped off their flowers in their respective vehicles and slipped into the tavern where they were seated at a small table near the back of the establishment. It wasn’t particularly busy that night, which was odd for a Saturday. Still, Bucky didn’t mind at all. At least it wasn’t obnoxiously loud in there; they could hold a decent conversation with each other without having to scream over the din at least.

“So how’d the rest of yer day go after I left?” Bucky asked, plucking up a menu from the table as he began to peruse the options with interest. He already had an idea of what he wanted to eat, but just to be sure, he thought he’d give the menu at least an once-over, just in case Steve did something ridiculous like ordering something healthy. Something that a muscle-bound blond god would order and still walk away with his figure intact. Take-out noodles were one thing. Deep fried onion ring burgers and barbecue mayo were something entirely different.

Shit, he hoped Steve didn’t think he was some fat-ass if he ordered that… he craved those fucking sandwiches like nothing else.

Steve shrugged, his eyes skimming his own menu before he looked up across the table at his date with a smile. “It went alright. Actually went a lot better after you left. I think you kinda broke me out of my funk, so thanks for that,” he said. Bucky couldn’t tell if it was an accident, but as he spoke, Steve kicked his foot out and bumped into Bucky’s before shifting back again.

Bucky just nodded, feeling a little proud as he put his menu down (Back-up choice: Turkey burger with vinaigrette dressing and side salad. Ugh… _salad_ …). “Well, good! I’m glad it all worked out for ya. Any time I can help make ya feel better, you just tell me, a’right? I aim to please.”

It wasn’t a particularly romantic statement, Bucky had to admit, but nevertheless, he watched Steve’s face fill in with a pink hue at his promising words, and he chuckled.

Shit, he couldn’t help but find Steve absolutely adorable in every fucking way. He just loved watching that manblush…

But before Steve could open his mouth to speak again, they were approached by their waitress for the night. Bucky knew Kara well; she was one of the first waitresses that had started working at the Red Star when they first opened a few years ago, and his garage crew quickly developed a friendly camaraderie with her as they spent their weekend evenings drinking and feasting to their hearts’ content. Even now, Kara looked radiant and friendly as she beamed down at them both, ready to assist them in any way she could; Bucky couldn’t have been more grateful that they had gotten Kara as their waitress for the evening. It really would be a great date after all.

“Hey boys, welcome! Glad to see one of our regulars is back tonight,” she said, grinning down at Bucky. Her eyes darted across to Steve for a moment, and a knowing smirk danced in her brown eyes as she winked at Bucky. “And out with a ‘friend’ I see? How are you both doing tonight?”

Bucky beamed, dialing up the charm a bit as he spoke. “Miss Palamas, it’s always a pleasure to see ya. Yer lookin’ radiant tonight as always,” he beamed at her from his seat.

“Bucky, please. I told you, call me Kara. God knows you’re in here often enough you’re on a first-name basis with half the staff now,” Kara snickered, flicking her pen at him before plucking her notepad out of her apron.

Bucky grinned, rubbing his arm where she’d flicked him, and he leaned back. “You don’ usually work Saturdays. What happened, did Yelena call off?” he asked, shooting Steve a wink from across the table. He was pleased to see that Steve was just grinning at him from his seat, as if he were enjoying watching Bucky flirt mercilessly with their waitress for the night. God knew, it was nothing _but_ flirting, and Bucky was confident that Steve knew exactly that. From the smile on his face, it certainly seemed to be the case.

“Yeah, seems that way,” Karareplied, shrugging a shoulder. “Yelena had some sort of big date tonight, so I got called in. It’s fine by me, Grant’s out of town at the moment anyway, so more tips for me!”

Bucky nodded, his smile turning sly. “Hmmm I’ll have to give her date a text and let him know that Miss Belova’s missin’ out on some good tips tonight then,” he said, leaning back and stretching his shoulders in a casual manner.

“Oh?” Kara asked, raising a brow at him. “And who might her date be tonight?”

“You know ‘im. Always in here Friday nights, watchin’ wrestlin’ and chattin’ her up. Tall guy with a head of great hair?” Bucky fished, winking at her.

“NO!” Kara laughed, planting her fists on her hips. “No way! Brock!? Good for them, I hope they have a good time!” With that, she picked her notepad up again and smiled. “ _Now_ what can I get you both? If I stay here chatting all night, I’m definitely gonna get an earful!”

“Oh God, wouldn’t want that to happen to you!” Steve spoke up, shaking his head as he gave her an understanding glance. “Looks like you have hard cider on tap, so I’ll take a large of that.”

“Gotcha honey. Anything to eat?” Kara asked, jotting down his drink order.

“Actually, thinkin’ of trying the onion burger. That barbecue mayo sounds really good. Seasoned fries too,” Steve added, looking up at her before handing her the menu.

Bucky could practically take him on the table right there.

“Oh holy shit, thank God.” Bucky sighed, slumping in his seat. He earned himself confused looks from both Kara and Steve, but he waved his hand in relief. “I though’ I was gonna have to use that first-date etiquette and order somethin’ healthy or whatever!”

Steve snorted, rolling his eyes. “Uh… no? I work in a bakery, Buck. Order yourself the greasiest burger you can, and I won’t think any less of you.”

“I could kiss ya right now,” Bucky grinned, sitting up in his seat.

“Well, here’s hoping you do at some point tonight,” Steve answered, settinghis chin on his palm as he beamed at him.

Bucky flushed red; his heart picked up a pace at Steve’s blatantly cheeky response, which only was made worse by the barely-concealed laugh Kara masked by a cough. Clearing his throat, Bucky winked at him and handed her his own menu in turn. “Make that two onion burgers with fries, and I’ll take a Long Island to go with it.”

“Right on. I’ll put those in for you two, and be right back with your drinks,” Kara said, flouncing off to the bar to drop off their ticket.

Bucky watched her go, feeling far more confident in his evening than he had previously. He felt Steve’s foot bump into his again, and he looked backat his date. Steve was still grinning at him, and a second bump, this time more insistent, caught his attention again. Oh. _Oh._ So that’s the game they were playing.

“You playin’ footsie with me?” Bucky asked, resting his elbows on the table as he spoke.

“About time you noticed,” Steve replied, resting his foot on top of Bucky’s as he spoke. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, Bucky. Woo me. I’ve had kind of an interesting day, so I’d like to see you do your best to fix that.”

“Interesting day, huh?” Bucky shot back, mimicking his stance as he crossed his arms. “Sorry to hear that. But I see ya got the flour outta yer hair, so guess we don’t hafta make this a romantic foray to the barber shop fer a shave down.”

“Nope, looks like you get to run your fingers through my hair all you want now.”

Ooh, Bucky liked him. He blushed again, but kept his smile cool and collected as he stared his date down. “I see that. Hoping I get ta make good on that promise tonight.” The two of them shared a moment, gazing at each other before Bucky spoke up again. “So! Woo you…” Bucky paused, tapping his finger on his jaw in mock contemplation as he smiled across the table. “Woo you. I think I can do that. We talkin’ Morticia and Gomez Addams type’a romance here? ‘Cause I can lay that shit on thick for ya if you want.” With that statement in mind, Bucky reached across the table and plucked Steve’s hand from where it was crossed. He pulled his hand over to himself and pressed kisses into his knuckles, making over-exaggerated smacking noises with his lips as he did.

Steve snorted, though he didn’t tug his hand away from his date’s grip. Eyes twinkling in the lowlight, Steve lowered his gaze to the table and hid his face away from the rest of the bar around them. “Oh my God, Bucky…” he snorted in amusement.

Bucky ignored his response, and continued to press kisses to his knuckles in an overt display of affection. “Ah my darling!” Bucky cooed, layering on a thick, comical accent as he spoke. “Ma Cherie. Cara Mia! Your eyes are like sapphires in the moonlight! Your cheeks are as rosy as a fresh bloom. Oooh my love, I will worship the very ground you step upon! You are the fire in my heart, the North Star to my compass! Let me kiss you!” Bucky grinned, looking up at his partner with a sly grin on his lips. As he spoke, he pushed Steve’s sleeve up to his elbow, and began tracking those kisses up the inside of his wrist to his forearm, leaning in until he was practically sprawled over the table top.

Of course, that was when he felt Steve jump, and he looked up at his date with a huge smile on his face. Steve’s cheeks had turned dark red, and he was spluttering to himself as he tried to push his sleeve down his arm against the tension of Bucky’s fingers. “Buck!” Steve hissed, looking around the bar with obvious embarrassment. “Holy crap, get off the table; what are you doing?”

“Too sexy for ya?” Bucky asked, still grinning at him. But he did as he was asked and sat back down, letting Steve shove his sleeve back down to his wrist with a grumble. “Fine, fine, I’ll keep the romantic shit to the bedroom if you _must.”_ Bucky said, feigning hurt as he crossed his arms over his chest in a mock pout.

“Oh stop, I did not say that,” Steve shot back, rolling his eyes to the ceiling with a laugh. “I just don’t feel like eating off of a table where you were drooling all over my arm. That’s all. Who knows where those lips have been?”

“Hmm, fair enough,” Bucky sighed, uncrossing his arms. “You dunno where they’ve been since yesterday, but you know where they’re gonna be later…” he lilted in a singsong voice at the end of his sentence.

When Steve spluttered again, his cheeks filling in with that same red hue, Bucky couldn’t help but feel accomplished, and he crowed in triumph. “Aha! Gotcha,” he laughed, pointing at him across the table.

But before Steve could counter his statement with a quip of his own, Kara returned to the table, holding their drinks in hand, and giving them both confused looks. “What did I miss?” she asked, shooting Bucky a suspicious look. “Are you tormenting your date, Bucky?”

Steve spoke up, pointing across the table at him. “He started it. He’s trying to embarrass me in front of the whole bar,” Steve quipped, sticking his tongue out at Bucky with a laugh.

“Holy shit, you really are like 5 years old,” Bucky giggled. But as he did, he felt a slap on his shoulder, and he rubbed his arm, looking up at their waitress with a huge pout. “Ooowww? Why’dya hit me?!”

“Because you’re ganging up on this poor, defenseless man and being mean to him. Now stop it before I double your bill,” Kara said, turning her nose up at Bucky, who only squawked in indignation at her answer.

Though, Bucky admitted to himself, seeing the laughter and the smile on Steve’s face, totally made it all worthwhile.

At last, Kara left them alone again, and the moment dwindled away to calm once again. Bucky picked up his glass, giving it a stir with the straw before taking a sip of his drink. “Hmm, top shelf this time, I’m gonna have to give her a really good tip.” Bucky commented, looking up at his date with a curious glance. “Want a sip?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Steve said, gesturing to his hard cider with a nod. “But thanks. I don’t usually drink hard liquor unless I really, _really_ need to.”

“Fair enough, more for me. Yay, alcohol!” Bucky said, clapping his hands with glee before picking his drink up and giving it a dainty sip.

“Wow, and you say I’m 5 years old,” Steve said, giving him an appraising look before propping his chin on his palm to smile at his date from across the table.

“I never said I was a mature, responsible adult. You assumed wrong. Not my fault,” Bucky shot back, winking at him. Even still, he mirrored Steve’s action, elbow pressed to the table and chin in hand as he smiled at him. He reached across the table with his free hand, and plucked Steve’s left hand from the wooden edge, lacing their fingers together on the table. “But that’s what you love about me…”

Bucky watched Steve, noting the way his breath caught in his throat as he threaded their hands together. This was the first time they were genuinely, _really_ holding hands in public where people could see them. With delight, Bucky noted that Steve didn’t move to pull his hand away from him. Instead, Steve tightened his grip on his fingers, and their hands lay on the tabletop together, fingers entwined and palms warm and comforting in each other’s grip.

“Yeah… That’s exactly why I like you so much,” Steve breathed, smile softening to a wistful look as they gazed at each other.

Bucky felt a shiver of delight running up his spine as they held hands; completely oblivious to the patrons around them, they had eyes only for each other as they smiled, laughed, and allowed the evening to take them where it would. Bucky didn’t know if he’d ever had a date as wonderful in his life, but if he did, he knew this night was only going to get better from this moment on.

Bucky thought that he’d been happy when he was seeing Alex Pierce, but now he knew how foolish that thought had been in his life.  Any other boyfriend he’d had in his life, definitely paled in comparison to the wonderful sun that was shining through Steve Rogers.

Yeah… Bucky was deeply in love for the first time in his life and he didn’t care who knew it.

* * *

 

Bucky laughed, leaning back in his chair as he wiped a dollop of wet ice cream from the side of his mouth. “A’right, a’right! One more!” he said, opening his mouth wide and winking at Steve from across the table.

Steve giggled, plucking up another oversized chocolate chip from the sundae and held it up. “Okay, don’t move!” he ordered. Aiming up the shot, Steve threw the chocolate chip across the table towards Bucky’s mouth, where it bounced off of his nose and clattered to the table in front of him with a wet splat. “You moved!” Steve laughed, clapping a hand over his eyes in amusement. “Jesus, Buck!’

“I didn’ move, yer aim is shit!” Bucky exclaimed, waving his hand at him. “Jesus, lemme show ya how it’s done! Open yer mouth!”

Steve rolled his eyes at him and sat up, opening his mouth and giving Bucky a challenging look.

Bucky beamed at him and with a flourish, picked up the cherry from the sundae (which was conveniently melting in front of them while they tried their little game in a nearly empty ice cream parlor), and held it up. But before he threw it, he held a hand out to Steve, and stood up. With a giggle, he backed away from the table, at least ten feet away, and held the cherry up. “ _Now_ open yer mouth, I’m doin’ it with my eyes closed.”

“No way are you gonna make that with your eyes closed, _and_ from over there!” Steve protested, giving him a horrified look. “You’re gonna throw that cherry right in my eye.”

“Quit whinin’ and open yer mouth,” Bucky sighed, holding the cherry up. “Or are ya too chicken t’trust me?”

Steve slumped, giving him a knowing look before crossing his arms. “Fine. Prove me wrong. If you miss…” Steve paused, thinking about it for a moment before grinning. “I get to make fun of you for it for at least a week. No complaints from you. Got it?”

“Lookit Mr. Toughguy over here, makin’ deals and shit,” Bucky laughed, holding the cherry up. “Okay, fine you get to tease me about it until next week. But I still get a kiss.”

“Deal.”

Bucky snickered, watching as Steve opened his mouth and waggled a brow at him tauntingly. Oh, the look on Steve’s face was going to be priceless. Bucky inhaled, holding the cherry up carefully between his index and thumb. He aimed up the shot, giving a few warm up pumps of his elbow before closing his eyes. Then, on the exhale, he let the cherry fly towards his target…

And straight into Steve’s mouth.

Bucky opened his eyes at the shocked sound Steve made, and he broke, propping himself on his knees as he howled in laughter at the stunned, scandalized look on Steve’s flushing face.

“What!” Steve exclaimed, nearly choking on the cherry before he chewed and swallowed the small fruit with shock. “How did… what..! How the hell did you do that?!”

Bucky straightened up, and then dropped into a flourishing bow, his arms held out to the sides with grace. “I’m a fuckin’ sniper. Y’ever need to clear out a bar on Darts night, you better make me yer double.” Laughing to himself, Bucky crossed the room again and sat down across from Steve, where he plucked up the spoon and took a bite of ice cream, still beaming at his shocked date with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

Bucky couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a handmade sundae on the pier; he had to remember to thank Steve for the brilliant idea later, for supplementing their already perfect date with the best-tasting ice cream they could get their hands on that night. The two of them had been occupying the tiny shop for well over thirty minutes, after having argued for at least a third of that time on what kind of sundae to share between the two of them. After the two had finally settled on a chunky monkey banana and chocolate sundae with peanut butter sauce (and sprinkles, at Steve’s puppy-eyed request), they sat down to resume their date in the parlour, having not had enough time together after dinner.

Jesus, Bucky had been glad Steve hadn’t been ready to cut their date short that night. After they’d had three drinks each and a whopping, greasy hamburger and fries, the both of them had been just slightly tipsy enough that Kara had ordered the two of them walk home, instead of attempting to drive just in case they got hurt. At that point, Bucky had feared that Steve would simply wish to call it a night; but to his utter delight and relief, Steve had been outright adamant that their date was simply only halfway through, and they had spent a good twenty minutes, waltzing down the boardwalk together to find something else to do with their night. (Steve had only tripped and blamed it on the ground three times, so he hadn’t been _that_ tipsy, he swore!).

By the time they had found an ice cream shop that was still open at this hour, they’d both sobered up from their earlier antics, and decided they both needed ice cream right at that moment or they might possibly die. Since Bucky had paid for dinner, Steve covered the cost of dessert that time, and they sat down together, where their impromptu game of “catch the chocolate chip” had begun, to the annoyance of the parlor worker.

Which lead to this exact moment, Bucky bent over and slurping up melting ice cream from the spoon, while Steve stared at him like he was a wizard or something. Bucky loved that confused, awed look on Steve’s face… made him look twice as adorable as he really was. “What’re you lookin’ at?” he asked, sitting back in his chair.

Steve didn’t answer him for a moment. Instead, he plucked up his own spoon and took a bite of the soupy chocolate and peanut butter and gave Bucky a suspicious look. “That shot was way too good. You sure you’re not some super-secret government spy or something?”

Bucky stared at him for a moment before sighing and rolling his eyes. “Dammit, you figured out my ruse. Now I'm gonna have ta kill ya. Shucks,” he said, snapping his fingers at him.

Steve held his hands up and feigned terror. “Please don’t! Have mercy on me, I’ll do anything you say!”

“Then I suggest…” Bucky started. He leaned over and grabbed Steve’s chair; with a powerful tug, he yanked his chair around to sit next to his, and he grinned up at him. “You sit here next to me and help me eat this ice cream. I’ll make the rest of your night worth yer while.” Bucky finished, flashing him a wicked gleam and a dangerous smirk.

Steve stared down at him, his cheeks filling in for a moment. Seemingly unable to help himself, Steve leaned down, and pulled Bucky into a kiss, gentle and soothing. He wrapped his arm around the back of his neck and nuzzled into the kiss, until Bucky could feel Steve’s glasses knocked off-kilter from the strange angle their noses bumped. Like fuck did he care; not when Steve was kissing him like that.

“I think…” Steve began, letting his nose bump into Bucky’s for a moment before he fluttered his lashes at him. “I think I can actually make it worth _your_ while, if you’ll have me…”

Bucky stared up at him, feeling a lump forming in his throat as he stared into those blue eyes with want. His lips still felt warm and tingly from the kiss, and the lingering taste of peanut butter from Steve’s tongue caught on the side of his mouth when he licked his lips expectantly.

But just as he leaned in to initiate a second kiss, a throat cleared behind them and they both looked up at the parlor worker in annoyance for her ruining the mood.

“Alright, I’m sorry guys, but I’m gonna have to ask you two to leave. We’re closing in five minutes,” she said, pointing at the door and shooting them both harsh looks.

What the fuck. Bucky stared at her for a moment, feeling his chest bubbling up with indignation. Five minutes, his ass. This place closed at midnight, and it was barely 11:30. They weren’t closing; she was kicking them out for being too overly affectionate in public. “What? We makin’ ya uncomfortable?” he snarked back at her, his fingers tightening protectively around Steve’s waist. He knew that situations like this couldn’t be avoided… he just hated that Steve had to experience this sort of judgement on his first official date with a guy out in public. “Listen, here-”

But the hand around his waist tightened, stopping him from bitching that woman out incessantly. “No Buck,” Steve cooed. Bucky looked up at his date to see Steve giving him a comforting look, and a nod. “It’s okay. Let’s take this to go. It’s alright…”

“But…” Bucky tried, looking back at the woman with annoyance on his face.

“I mean it,” Steve soothed, running his hand along his arm. “It’s okay. Let’s go. I want to go sit out by the water anyway.”

Bucky relented finally, giving the woman a withering look before standing up. Steve picked up their sundae and carried it outside, with Bucky in tow behind him. They were followed closely by the woman as she came to lock the door behind them and banish them from the establishment for the night. But just as Bucky passed through the door to leave the place, he caught wind of the woman muttering to herself about what a shame it was that a nice man was shackling himself down with “a freak like that,” and he felt a swell of hurt bloom in his chest at the statement leveled at himself.

Even still, as much as Bucky wanted to turn back and give that woman a piece of his mind, he felt Steve’s hand tighten around his fingers to ground him, and he looked up at him. He honestly was unsure if Steve had heard her mutterings and wanted to stop him from exploding over her in a fiery outburst, or if he just had really good instincts for his emotions.

Bucky’s money was on the latter.

Still, Bucky felt marginally better with Steve holding his hand and he leaned into his side, wrapping his arm around his waist and pressing his chin to his shoulder. “Fuck her. Gimme a bite,” Bucky said finally, looking up at Steve and winking at him to tell him everything was well again.

Steve laughed, plucking up a spoonful of ice cream and feeding it to his date with a roll of his eyes. “Always so needy,” Steve chided, shaking his head before taking a bite of his own.

With that, the two men spent a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk this time, no longer hampered by their earlier buzz, and feasting on almost soupy ice cream as they talked and laughed their evening away. By the time they finished the ice cream, Bucky had almost completely forgotten about the woman in the parlor and his attention was once again 100% on Steve, and how brightly he could get him to smile and laugh again.

Thank God neither of them had work the next day. Bucky didn’t want this amazing night to end, ever.

“So, where’re we goin’?” Bucky asked, threading their fingers together and giving his date’s hand a squeeze.

Steve paused, spotting a bench at the edge of the boardwalk and pointed. “There. Let’s go sit. My feet are getting tired,” Steve said, smiling down at Bucky, and winking. “Besides, I think it counts as a romantic evening together if we sit and watch the water for a while, right? At least that’s what they do in movies.”

Bucky looked to the bench, and he nodded in acceptance. “A’right then! Lead away, Mr. Rogers!” he said, pointing at the bench with a commanding tone in his voice.

They crossed the boardwalk together, knocking shoulders as they walked until they sat down together with a laugh between them. They nudged and bumped each other’s sides as if they could knock the other person off of the bench, before they finally settled down and cuddled up to each other with delight. To Bucky’s amusement, somehow his arm had found its way around the small of Steve’s back again, where he placed his hand on the bench just at the side of Steve’s ass.

With a surreptitious gesture, Bucky carefully tweaked his ass, making Steve jump in his spot. Giggling, Bucky settled right back into Steve’s side before he could move away, took his hand in his, and pressed their palms to the wood beneath them to show in good faith that he was done teasing him. He was almost certain that Steve would have pulled away, but to his delight, Steve only scooted practically into his lap, and remained resolutely glued to his side once again.

The two of them fell silent as they sat together; they watched the water lapping at the beach beyond the boardwalk and soaked up each other’s warmth with contentment. Bucky didn’t know how long they sat like this; an hour? More? He didn’t know… well, not that he honestly cared; all that mattered was that he’d won Steve’s heart, and spent the best evening of his life growing closer to a fucking angel walking this planet, and Steve actually liked _him_ in return!

How the fuck did he get lucky enough to manage that? Shit like this just didn’t happen in Bucky’s life; not since before high school and _that_ ugly fallout. Not since Alex Pierce… In all honesty, Bucky was terrified that this was all too good to be true, and he’d wake up, alone and pining for a guy that didn’t even remotely share his feelings. That would just be par for the course in his life, now wouldn’t it...?

As he mused over his thoughts, Bucky’s mind wandered back to the woman in the ice cream parlor, and his heart sank slightly in his chest. She wasn’t wrong… Bucky’s confidence -while outwardly stalwart and impregnable- was actually as fragile as glass when it came to his romantic relationship with this gorgeous man in his arms. Bucky knew… he just _knew_ that there was no way in hell that he was even remotely close to Steve’s league in the dating game, and he feared that at any moment, Steve would snap out of this obvious spell he was in and realize he was dating a complete and total loser.

Bucky liked himself well enough; he didn’t care what people thought of him or how he dressed, but when it came to brass tacks, Steve was lightyears ahead of Bucky. Steve had a college degree and owned his own business. Steve was gorgeous and wasn’t marred by tattoos or dozens of piercings. Steve was tall and popular.

Bucky, on the other hand? Bucky was a mechanic that smelled like motor oil, dirt and body odor 12 hours out of the day. Bucky was a pincushion of piercings and a canvas of ink, with long hair and a select couple of friends. Bucky had barely finished high school.

What the hell did Steve _see_ in him?

To his right, Bucky felt the body in his arms shifting and he looked up to see Steve staring down at him in confusion. “What?” Steve asked, raising a brow at him in concern. “You’re staring at me. Is something bothering you?”

Shit. He’d been staring at him? Oh God. He hoped he hadn’t said any of his thoughts outloud…

Evading the panic, Bucky smiled and leaned in. He let the tip of his nose brush up against Steve’s cheek, and he smiled. “Nothin’… Just thinkin’ about how lucky I got. I didn’ think you’d like me that’s all. Yer like perfect, and I’m just… just a mechanic.” Bucky hesitated, pulling away from his side to fuss with a loose string on his t-shirt.  Y’know… I’m not exactly prime pickin’s here… You could have any guy you wanted, and you picked me. Just… that. Just that.”

Steve stared down at him, taking stock of Bucky’s hesitancy before he turned slightly and tilted Bucky’s head up without hesitation. Pressing him into a kiss, Steve lingered for a moment, their lips brushing in a tender caress before he bumped foreheads with him and met Bucky’s gaze head-on. “Why the hell would I think less of you in _any_ way at all? You’re amazing… you’re funny and cute and just… really nice to me. You don’t treat me like I’m different or broken when I have ideas, and you just… really appreciate me when I’m going through shit.” Steve paused to let his words sink in, and his smile softened. “You’re genuinely a good person and I love that about you. So what if you’re a mechanic? Fuck anyone that says that’s such a bad thing… I like it, and that’s all that matters.”

Bucky didn’t honestly know what to do with all that positive reinforcement. He didn’t often get it from people who weren’t his closest friends, so hearing such good things coming out of Steve…

No. Bucky wasn’t used to such kind words. He couldn’t possibly process them and accept them for what they were; it just wasn’t in his programming. So instead, he decided to fall back on his usual tactic: Evade by telling jokes.

“Hey you actually swore without bein’ angry!” Bucky giggled, teasing him to brush off his compliments. He earned a shove from Steve for ruining the moment, but his smile never left his face, regardless. “I’m not sayin’ it’s a bad thing you know. It means you’re loosenin’ up around me. That’s good.”

“Thanks…” Steve said, relaxing a little. “I’m just… really thinking about today, and how mean I was to you. I’m sorry I yelled at you, I really am. I’m still beating myself up over that you know? And you still wanted to go out on a date with me. I just… it baffles me. That’s how awesome you are. I yelled at you and you still asked me out. Why?”

“Uh…” Bucky paused, looking up at him with a crooked smile. “Duh? Because I think yer fuckin’ wonderful and hot and yer a real good friend? People have bad days, it jus’ happens. I just wish you’d open up to me about what it was that was botherin’ you so bad. I mean, I’m all about the wooing, but if there’s somethin’ really eatin’ you… you gotta tell me’.” He leaned back to give Steve a good look, and his expression softened. “So what is it?”

Bucky watched as Steve’s face clouded over instantly, and his worries came back; shit, maybe he shouldn’t have asked. What if it was something personal in Steve’s life? Had he just stuck his nose where it didn’t belong? ‘ _Great way to build up trust there, Barnes…’_

But before he could take back his question, Steve was speaking again. It seemed hesitant, like Steve wasn’t sure what he should say, but Bucky was patient. He’d always be patient with Steve.

“It’s nothing, really… just got in a bad fight with someone today and we sort of… parted ways on an ugly note,” Steve finally settled on. He looked back out to the water, and he shrugged. “I shouldn’t let it get to me. I’m better off without ‘em anyway…”

Bucky didn’t answer him. He simply let his words sink in and he looked out to the water as well. After a time, Bucky finally decided he’d put those thoughts out of Steve’s mind for good, and he turned to face him. But he didn’t speak. Instead, he cupped his hand behind Steve’s head, pulling him back into the kiss they’d aborted earlier. This time, the kiss was deeper, almost plundering as Bucky leaned up into Steve’s side.

Bucky felt his breath shuddering in his lungs, and he smiled. Steve was trembling in his arms, and he took the moment to tighten his grip on Steve’s hair. He gave the blond strands a gentle tug, and he tilted his head, deepening the kiss further. Tongues darted out in a little flicker, and he opened up, letting Steve in. He shivered, feeling the utter _need_ in Steve’s actions as he explored Bucky’s mouth, and the shivery puffs of breath against his lips only spurred Bucky on further. He nipped at his lower lip again, bruising the swelling flesh as he sampled Steve’s unique essence with utter delight.

Deep down, Bucky wondered if there was anything about Steve that could possibly be better than this. Just like the night before, Bucky felt himself enthralled by the intensity of their kiss, the way Steve clutched his arm and pulled him close. He was addicted to his essence, and Bucky felt himself going lightheaded as he soaked it all in.

All too soon, Bucky knew he had to break the kiss, lest one of them pass out from the intensity of it all. There was no way Bucky was carrying Steve home all the way across Brooklyn, and he was fairly certain he’d die of embarrassment if Steve had to do the same for him. With great reluctance, he leaned back after a moment, watching with amusement as Steve struggled to open his eyes again.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky cooed, brushing his fingertips along the line of Steve’s jaw in a comforting touch. “I’m sorry that person hurt you so badly, but they’re gone now. So fuck ‘em. Don’t even think about ‘em anymore, okay? I’m here now, and I’m gonna make sure you’re never gonna worry again, okay?” He watched as Steve’s eyes fluttered open, and he beamed at him in delight. “Besides, we’ve still got the rest of the night to go. I’ll even stay for a nightcap if you can’t get rid of me. So let’s go do something wild and crazy and forget about it!”

“Wild and crazy?” Steve asked, though his voice sounded far less sure than he probably anticipated. “Like what? I don’t really feel like calling Tony to bail us out of jail tonight.”

“Nah. We’ll think of somethin’. But right now,” Bucky paused, getting to his feet. He held his hand out to Steve, grinning wickedly down at him. “Stand up, my fair flower!”

Steve looked down at his hand, as if he were wondering exactly how mad Bucky might have gone. After a moment, he reached out and took the offered hand, getting to his feet with a chuckle. “Fair flower? What am I, your charming Damsel in distress?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t say Damsel in distress. But you do look mighty pretty to me.” Bucky let go of him and grinned, before throwing his arms out to the sides with a whoop. “Let’s go see what the night brings us!” he called, turning and prancing down the boardwalk a few paces. He stopped when he didn’t hear movement behind him and he turned to see Steve staring at him like he’d grown a second head. Shy? Steve Rogers wasn’t shy! What the hell was this about?! “C’mon! Let’s go!”

“What are you doing?!” Steve grinned, following after him at a more dignified pace.

“We’re gonna go take the chance we have to be fuckin’ idiots for the night! Carpe diem and all that bullshit!” Bucky said. He held his arms out to the side and spun in a circle, laughing loudly into the night. “Let go for once and just have fun! You know what I’m sayin’?!”

Steve laughed, approaching his side and giving him an unsure look. “Idiots, huh? I don’t think I’m really good at that, you know.”

“Ahh, c’mooon!” Bucky whined. He grabbed Steve’s hands and gave them a tug, yanking Steve forward. “Frolick with me! No one’s gonna care! What’re you afraid of!?”

“Looking like a moron, that’s what I’m afraid of!” Steve said, looking embarrassed as Bucky spun him around the boardwalk.

“Pft!” Bucky laughed, throwing his head back. “Who cares?! You gotta learn to lighten up a bit! Workin’ all the time’s a fuckin’ drag! You just gotta let go and forget that the world’s around ya, otherwise ya go crazy tryin’ to be ‘normal’ all the time.”

Steve didn’t take the bait at first. Instead, he stared at Bucky, looking a little uncomfortable as he glanced around the boardwalk for anyone watching them. “Bucky, I’m really not good at that whole thing…”

“Sure you are! You just ain’ lettin’ yerself!” Bucky prodded. He stepped back and held his arms out to him. “Do ya need me to teach you how to frolick? Like Bambi in a field of flowers, and ain’t nobody lookin’ at us?” Bucky grinned, shimmying his hips at Steve before waggling an eyebrow suggestively. “Come dance with me!”

Steve hesitated. He looked around the boardwalk for a long moment; long enough that Bucky feared he would eventually put his foot down and refuse to play along. However, not long after, Steve’s expression turned to a smile, and his shoulders relaxed at his sides. “Fuck it.” Steve said, grinning back at Bucky. He held his arms out to Bucky, and grabbed them before twirling them both around the boardwalk in an extravagant swirl of feet and laughter. “This is kinda fun!”

“Told ya!” Bucky beamed, wrapping his arms around Steve’s chest. He hugged him close and then grabbed his wrist, tugging him down the sidewalk with a laugh. “C’mon! Let’s dance like children of the night! Prance with me!”

“I like frolicking better!” Steve shot back, holding Bucky’s hand as they skipped down the sidewalk together, a pair of giggling grown men drawing some strange looks from passers-by as they went.

“A’right, frolicking it is!” Bucky teased. He whooped for joy as they skipped and hopped along the sidewalk, dancing to whatever music ran through their heads as they went.

Bucky never felt like a bigger idiot in his life. And that was just fucking alright with him.

* * *

 

Steve committed his first theft that night.

Luckily for the two of them, they were definitely not going to be caught, and it had been something so ridiculously stupid that no one would ever miss it.

Least of all Steve, considering they’d stolen it directly from his own bakery.

After the two of them had pranced and bounded their way through the nighttime Brooklyn streets, Steve had the idea that they could safely commit their “wild and crazy” antics without getting in trouble,and still have a great time doing it. So after they’d caught their breaths back (Bucky complaining that he really needed to quit smoking if he was going to skip like a damn fool through New York), they snuck their way to Henderson Street together, and “broke” into Star-Spangled Pastries in the dark.

It only took Steve a few moments to decide what to take, but after a moment, they decided on three small containers of buttercream frosting, and snuck out of the bakery together (with Steve carefully locking the door behind them), and sprinted down the block towards his apartment, laughing hysterically at their ‘crime’.

It was really stupid, Steve had to admit… but he hadn’t had this much fun in months, maybe even years. Sharon would have never condoned such childish behavior out of Steve. But knowing that he could let go around Bucky and just _be…_ Steve never felt so liberated in his life.

“I can’t believe we just stole frosting from my own shop,” Steve snickered, holding the jar of pink frosting to his chest. He fished out his keys for his apartment and followed Bucky inside, before throwing his leather jacket onto the coat rack without care. “Tony’s gonna kill me when he finds out.”

“Just tell ‘im we did nasty things with it so he won’t want it back!” Bucky replied, carrying the other two containers against his chest. He walked into the apartment, looking around the interior with a grin on his face and uttered an appreciative whistle into the quiet around them. “Nice place. Haven’t seen the inside yet, so this is nice.”

Steve smiled, watching Bucky with utter fondness. Fondness that quickly turned into a need to push the boundary of their relationship just a tad further… if Bucky would have him.

Steve’is eyes darted down to the frosting in his hands, and his smile turned into a wicked smirk. Without a word, he unscrewed the lid and stuck his hand inside, getting a good glob of pink frosting on his fingertips. “Hey Bucky…”

“Yeah?” Bucky said, turning around.

The moment Bucky turned to face him, Steve struck; without a word, he smeared a huge dollop of frosting across his face, leaving Bucky highly scandalized as he was defaced by pink goo. “Aww didn’t anyone tell you you look pretty in pink?!” Steve laughed, leaning back against the door as he snickered at his date’s face.

“Oh you shit! I swear, I’m gonna get you for that!” Bucky squawked. Without missing a beat, he opened up the blue frosting and scooped up a handful of his own. “C’mere!”

Well. This had proven to be a big mistake. Of course, Steve forgot that this had been Bucky’s idea in the first place. How did he think he’d come out of this unscathed? “NO!” Steve yelped in horror, seeing the impending sticky mess coming his way. He darted away from Bucky just as he lunged for him, and sprinted into the apartment to try and escape his clutches. “I didn’t think you were serious!”

“Too bad! Now it’s war!” Bucky hollered, chasing him around the apartment with his sticky fingers. They laughed hysterically into the night, leaping and bounding over furniture as they darted the interior of the apartment in a frantic game of tag. Steve very nearly evaded Bucky’s grip as he rounded the corner of the hallway to escape into the living room. It would have been a clean escape, had Scout not taken that moment to come slinking into the living room to see what the hullabaloo was all about. In his attempts to escape Bucky’s clutches, Steve nearly stepped right on Scout. Was resulted was a cacophony of chaos in the tiny apartment.

Scout yeowled in fright at nearly being crushed by his new owner. Steve yelped in panic as he realized he’d very nearly done in his own cat with his large feet. And Bucky’s crow of triumph as he finally caught his date.

“AHA!” Bucky laughed, tackling Steve to the sofa to straddle his waist. He grinned wildly as he smudged blue frosting across Steve’s face in retaliation, grinning down at him as Steve spluttered around the sticky goo on his mouth. “Coral blue no. 5. Not bad, Rogers.”

“Don’t you dare make a Spongebob reference, you dick!” Steve laughed, practically crying in mirth as he wiped his hand across his face. “Oh shit, it's stickier than I thought...”

“Here, lemme help you,” Bucky said. Before Steve could protest, Bucky leaned down, swiping his tongue across Steve’s face as he cleaned up the mess he left behind. When he’d finished, he leaned back, propping himself up on the cushions as he grinned down at him. “Delicious. Frosted Steve Rogers. I like it, you should make it a new menu item.”

“Oh God,” Steve wailed, covering his face as he tried to catch his breath from laughing. Well… he had hoped there would have been tongue action that night. Apparently he got his wish. “I’ve been defiled…”

Bucky laughed, crawling off of Steve’s lap. He reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him up before wiping his own hand across his face to clean up the pink stickiness from his skin. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. If that was outta line, I won’t do it again.”

“No,” Steve said, sitting up as he finally got his giggles back under control. He looked up at Bucky, his cheeks flushed red and his lungs screaming from laughter. “No it’s okay, I deserved it.” He slumped back into the sofa, staring up at the ceiling with a stupid smile on his face. “Thanks. Thank you so much for the great night. I haven’t had such a good time in forever. It felt really good…”

Bucky smiled, having calmed down considerably in that moment. “Yer welcome, Stevie. You really looked like you needed the laugh. So…” he paused, wringing his hands in his lap before looking up at Steve. “So I’m glad I got to do that for ya.”

They didn’t speak again. Silently, the two sat together on the sofa, leaned into each other’s sides. As they both relaxed into the sofa behind them, the air around them felt a little awkward, as if they knew what they wanted to do next, but weren’t sure if they should act. Fuck that. Steve never wanted this amazing night to end. Why, oh why did this date have to be over?

After a beat, Steve found himself shifting slightly as he looked over at Bucky. “So… so do you want that drink, still? I’ve got some beer in the fridge…”

Bucky looked up at him, his eyes wide in surprise. “You... want me to stay still?” he asked, actually looking a little uncertain.

Steve was surprised by this sudden hesitancy. _Hell yes_ he wanted him to stay. He wanted him to stay and do so… so much more.

“Yeah, I do.” Steve murmured. He looked up at Bucky, smiling at him before reaching over. He placed his hand on Bucky’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze before he dropped his gaze to the couch between them. “You make me happy. I haven’t been this happy in a long time, and…” he paused and bit his lip. Did he really admit this? Right now?

Of fucking course he did.

“I really like you.”

Bucky stared at him, as if he were having trouble processing his words for a moment. Finally, his surprised expression turned into a huge smile and he nodded up at Steve, turning to face him on the sofa. “I really like you too, Stevie… like a lot. I think about you all the time, ya know?” He leaned in, tugging on Steve’s hands for a moment.

Steve felt like his heart could scamper right out of his chest at that little motion. Smiling himself, he leaned in, feeling Bucky’s breath ghosting across his face. He could smell the residual smoke and the strong scent of sugar on his breath, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to feel those lips on his, no matter what. “So…” he whispered, their lips barely inches apart now. “Nightcap?”

“Nah…” Bucky said, looking up at him. “I think I’m good without more beer. I like this better.” With that, Bucky leaned over, sticking his index finger back into the container of blue frosting. Without a word, he swiped his finger across Steve’s throat, just above his pulse point. He gave Steve a gentle, wanting look, and leaned in, swiping his tongue across his throat to clean it off. Bucky lingered for a second, letting his lips tug on the sensitive skin of his throat, before he sucked gently. He worked his teeth over the mark, just barely scraping against the goose pimpled flesh against his lips. His breath tickled Steve’s neck as he breathed gently through his nose, completely lost to his task.

Steve moaned, letting his head fall to the side as Bucky suckled his throat tenderly. Every drop of blood in his body turned to lava in his veins, before shooting south to his cock, and he shivered at the tender touches. They made him feel so much… so much at once, that Steve thought he could lose his head right then and there. “B-Bucky… Bucky, I want...”

“Shhh…” Bucky purred. He looked up at him, smiling gently as he leaned in. He pressed Steve into another kiss, pulling him closer with a groan of his own. Steve found himself stunned to find that Bucky had practically picked him up and dropped him into his lap. Not that he was complaining. Steve went willingly, pliant in his grip as he leaned over Bucky; his thighs straddled Bucky’s lap as he leaned into the kiss, skin igniting with pleasure as he kissed and suckled those full, soft lips at his disposal. “Shirt off, Stevie…”

Steve complied instantly. He reached down and yanked his own t-shirt off, throwing it to the ground before he was leaning over Bucky again. Instantly, he felt Bucky’s calloused hands on his back, raking over the smooth skin there, and he whimpered into the kiss without care.

He panted into his mouth, nipping Bucky’s lower lip; without breaking the kiss, Steve reached up and dipped into the open, pink frosting to dirty his fingers up again. He reached down and shoved Bucky’s t-shirt up his torso, before he smeared frosting all across his chest. He was amazed to see that he had been right. Bucky’s tattoo extended far beyond his shoulder, down across his left pec like robotic plating that Steve couldn’t take his eyes off. He smiled at the sight of pink obscuring the delicate black marks across his skin and he leaned down, licking and lapping up frosting from his flesh like a kitten.

“Nnh… Stevie, lemme… wait,” Bucky panted. He pushed Steve back long enough to divest himself from the t-shirt that was bunched up around his throat, and threw it down to the ground. Free of his shirt, Bucky reached up again and tugged Steve back down into the kiss. This time, their teeth clicked, actions growing more hectic as their hips slowly picked up pace against each other, undulating in gentle rolls as they lost themselves to the growing pleasure between them. Without missing a beat, Bucky smeared more frosting across Steve’s chest, shoulders and collarbones, and lapped up the little dots of buttercream from his skin with gentle, loving strokes.

Steve whimpered, grinding down against the warm body beneath him. His fingers dug into the back of the sofa as he kissed his date, bruising sensitive skin and feeling his heart racing in his chest like a current. He felt electricity rushing through every nerve in his body, and his cock…

Oh God, he was fucking hard.

“Bucky… I’ve never...” Steve panted, rutting desperately against his lap. The idea of where this was going was exhilarating to Steve… but something in the back of his mind was beginning to worry at him. Fingering himself had been nothing. He’d loved it. He knew he’d love it if Bucky did it (God, he wanted Bucky to finger him). But... if they went any further, would it hurt if he allowed Bucky to make love to him? Would he be a bad bottom? Panic began to weave its way into his chest and he whimpered in anxiety, burying his face in the crook of Bucky’s neck for a moment. “I’ve never had sex with a guy... but… fuck, I want you… I’m just-!”

Bucky whimpered, leaning back to look up at Steve with curious eyes. “Yer what? Nervous?” He smiled up at him, letting his hands roam down Steve’s back. Steve could feel those fingers ghosting over his ass, pawing at it, before two fingers were dipping beneath the hem of his jeans to tease at the top of his cleft with interest. “You gotta tell me. If you want me to, Stevie… I’ll stop, but it’s gonna be fuckin’ hard this time…”

‘No!” Steve gasped, looking down at him. Even with his insistence, he felt nervous. He bit his lip and looked down at Bucky’s chest. “No, fuck I want you, I do!”

“Okay,” Bucky whispered. He prodded further at Steve’s jeans, fingering deeper into the fabric and letting his middle finger glide along the crack of his ass. “You want me to touch you here… right?”

“Y-yes...” Steve whimpered, bucking back against his hand desperately.

Bucky laughed, stilling Steve’s frantic actions with a kiss to his collarbone. “You jus’ don’t know what it’s gonna be like, right?” When Steve shook his head, Bucky just smiled right back at him. “Don’ worry… I know what to do.”

With that, Bucky turned to lower Steve down to the floor from the sofa. He followed quickly, bridging himself over Steve’s figure as he leaned down; pressing a line of kisses up and down Steve’s chest, Bucky laved at his collar before he pulled away again. “You gotta just put yer faith in me that I’m gonna do this right, okay? Can ya do that?”

Steve nodded, looking up at him with wide, glossy eyes and a shiver running up his spine. The warm body above him shifted away from his side and he whined in the back of his throat, only to yelp when he felt the tip of Bucky’s tongue begin to trace patterns into his overheated skin. He could feel the chill of the air against the damp spots on his flesh, feel where Bucky’s tongue lapped up dots of frosting from his chest, and whatever last ounces of worry he felt was gone in the blink of an eye. He could do this… Bucky would take care of him. Steve was sure of it.

Suddenly, Bucky loomed over him, grinning down at Steve as he raised a brow in interest. “Feelin’ alright there, Stevie?” Bucky asked. His hand snaked down to the hem of Steve’s jeans, giving the stiff fabric a tug before he was working the button open with his thumb. “You look a little flushed… maybe I should get these offa ya…”

“Jesus Christ, Bucky!” Steve gasped, writhing in his spot. He felt Bucky’s thumb trace over his hip bone, and he whined again, rutting his hips up a little at the barely-there contact he felt against his skin.

“Shit. Yer real fuckin’ hot ain’t ya?” Bucky asked. Without waiting for an answer Bucky suddenly placed both his hands on Steve’s jeans, gripping the hem tightly before he was yanking them down his thighs and tossing the stiff fabric to the side to free Steve’s lower half from his jeans.

Now, just in his underwear, Steve felt a sliver of anxiety worm back into his spine and he found himself feeling a little exposed, a little vulnerable, and he looked away from his partner in shame. Bucky was so beautiful, so experienced... and he was just Steve. How could he possibly be a good lover to someone like Bucky? Bucky probably had _countless_ lovers that were better than Steve. What if he disappointed him?

But before he could shift away and change his mind at the last second, Steve felt Bucky’s hand land on his hip, holding him to the floor as he hovered over him in a predatory stance.

“Look at that… all fuckin’ hard and waitin’ fer me…” Bucky groaned. He stared down at Steve’s crotch, his eyes drinking in the sight of his pulsing cock through the thin underwear holding him back. Lifting his free hand, Bucky traced his index finger up the underside of Steve’s dick, giving the hardened length a gentle tickle before he was moving his hand away again.

Holy fuck, Steve hadn’t felt this fucking hot in _so long_!

“B-bucky... B-b-bucky please!” Steve mewled. Seemingly against his will, Steve’s hips rocked up towards the cool air around him, subconsciously seeking out friction as he lay on the floor in a pile of fiery limbs and flushed skin.

He was so fucking turned on... 5 months of abstinence had definitely gotten the better of him, and with Bucky’s perfectly deliberate attention on him, Steve was ready to pop at any second. “Bucky… please! Please…” Steve didn’t care if he begged; he wasn’t above that! Maybe that would get Bucky to fucking hurry up!

Above him, Bucky seemed to hesitate, as if he were contemplating something very important. Steve opened his eyes, looking up at his friend with confusion; he saw the pondering, the curiosity in his eyes, and for a moment, Steve sobered up completely, wondering what the hell Bucky was thinking. “Bucky..?”

“Shh, babydoll…” Bucky cooed. His contemplative expression melted into sheer, wicked intent, and he looked up at Steve with that dangerous gleam in his eyes. “Be patient… I’m gonna take real good care of ya… I promise. You know me…”

Bucky suddenly moved, shifting so that he was kneeling next to Steve’s head, instead of his hips and he let his fingers dance across his chest in light strokes. “You know I always keep my promises, babydoll… Yer gonna feel so fucking good…”

Steve stared up at him as he tried to figure out what Bucky was getting at. “Bucky... what are you doing?” he asked, intrigued and enticed by this sudden change in his partner’s behavior.

Bucky smiled down at him; he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lover’s lips. “Shhh… We’re gonna try somethin’ a little different. Do ya trust me, baby?” Bucky asked, looking him directly in the eyes. “Do ya trust me to get you to have the best orgasm ya ever had in yer life without me layin’ a finger… right here?” Bucky asked; to emphasize his point, Bucky ran his fingers along the line of Steve’s cock again, drawing a tremble from him. “If you don’t... you just tell me, babydoll. I ain’t gonna do anythin’ you don’t want…”

A shiver coursed up Steve’s spine at his partner’s words. He looked up at Bucky, his mouth open in shock before the reality of what he was saying really sank in. Did Bucky think he was going to actually get him off without touching him? Oh fuck… this Steve definitely wanted to see for himself. “Yeah… yeah I trust you, Bucky…” Steve said; his voice hedged on a whimper once again, and he rolled his hips up to the ceiling to emphasize his point. “Yes I trust you… please…”

Bucky smiled down at him, his eyes softening as he got Steve’s consent from him; he leaned in, pressing his lover into a gentle kiss and nipping his lower lip softly. “Okay, baby… you just lay right back there and you put yer hands behind yer head. No touchin’, okay?”

Steve nodded in return, lifting his hands from his sides. He carefully cupped the back of his head in his palms and gave Bucky the go-ahead to begin. “Okay… I won’t touch.”

“Good…” Bucky muttered softly. As he spoke, his voice dipped lower, dropping into a soothing timbre that sounded like warm honey against Steve’s flesh. He scooted down to Steve’s lower half, taking hold of his underwear and tugging it off of his hips gently. When he had Steve’s briefs down around his ankles, Bucky paused, looking down at his partner’s naked form and drinking in the sight of his hard, reddened dick with a hungry intent. “Listen to my voice… follow it. It’s the only point you should be focusin’ on right now. That… and the feelin’ of warmth in your belly.” Bucky leaned down as he spoke, pressing a gentle kiss to Steve’s belly button and flicking his tongue out against the little whorl of skin.

Okay, Steve had to admit this whole beginning was a _little_ weird… It almost sounded like Bucky was trying to hypnotize him. Really? Orgasm by hypnosis? Steve really couldn’t believe that such a thing was possible… but, if Bucky wanted to try it, Steve couldn’t fault him for wanting to be a little adventurous.

As much as the beginning was a little odd, what was most surprising to Steve was what Bucky did next. As he knelt next to his body, Bucky held his hands out over Steve's torso, palms flat down and he began to move his hands in slow strokes, his palms just hovering above his skin. “You can feel my hands, movin’ over yer body... relaxing you... just a massage. Feel yer body going limp under my fingers. It's warm, comforting, soothing. You can feel yerself driftin’ down and down all while my hands never stop moving over you."

Bucky paused, kissing Steve’s belly again. He let his breath ghost over his skin, the faint stubble on his jaw tickling Steve's stomach in a gentle scratch. Bucky sighed happily, mouthing over the jut of his hip bone before he sucked a bruise into the skin; oddly enough, it didn't sting or burn like other bruises did. This one was soft, gentle and loving, and he ran this tongue over the mark in Steve’s flesh before he pulled back and resumed his task. "You still with me, baby?”

“Mhhm…” Steve sighed, shivering under the caress of Bucky's voice and the barely there warmth of his palms over his body. He entwined his fingers behind his head, allowing his eyes to drift shut as he slipped further into this comforting aura surrounding him. Okay… this felt nice. Steve actually felt all the tension in his body slither away to nothingness as if he could actually feel phantom hands ghosting over his flesh and working the stress out of his muscles. It was so relaxing that deep down, Steve wondered if he was going to fall asleep before he reached this orgasm that Bucky had promised him.

Suddenly, he gasped when he felt the tip of Bucky’s tongue flick out, laving over his left nipple in a flat, wet swipe of flesh against flesh. Steve bucked up, his eyes flying open at the erotic sensation that buzzed through his veins. Before Bucky, no one had ever really touched his nipples before. “Fuck…!”

“Focus, baby…” Bucky murmured. He smiled up at him, leaning forward to let his mouth trace a nonsense pattern into the side of Steve’s neck. Bucky's palm moved above his chest, a circular motion in his wrist as he stroked the air above his stomach. “Focus on my voice… you feel so relaxed and so happy. As you lay there, imagine a beam of light focused on you. It’s warm and soft and comfortin’ and it's going to bring you right to where you want to be. Do you feel that warmth? Just imagine it... It’s starting up in your head, and you’re going to feel it seep down… down your body…”

Bucky paused, tracing his lips along the side of Steve’s neck, down his shoulder and to his chest again. His hands, ever stroking the air in that circular pattern, moved down to his groin, “It’s going lower… you’re gonna feel that warmth settlin’ in yer cock… it’s gettin’ harder… warmer… do you feel it baby?”

“Y-yes…” Steve whimpered. He had tried, desperately to hold onto his control, keep himself grounded to this earth; but Bucky's voice was like a siren, calling him into a state of total bliss, his hands drawing out ripples of pleasure from his body without even a caress of his finger. He could feel his skin turning on, brighter still as that warmth Bucky told him of seeped down his body like a warm gentle shower soaking into his skin. He wanted to see what Bucky was doing. How could Bucky make him so pliant and wanting without even touching his most sensitive spots?

As he lay there, he realized that his cock, having gone half soft from lack of attention, had filled in again, coming to life and tingling with the pleasure Bucky brought to him with just his words and a few well-placed kisses. He could feel his dick straining, seemingly seeking out the touch of his palms just inches above his length. But Bucky kept his hands coyly away from him, always stroking the air, drawing out his energies like a syphon.

Still Steve kept his eyes closed, and his hips involuntarily bucked up into the still air around them both as his body, suddenly heightened by the words coming out of Bucky’s mouth, sought out the need for friction he wasn’t getting. He couldn’t believe that just moments before, he felt relatively in control of his own body. Literally seconds under Bucky’s command, and already Steve was willing and wanting, turned on hotter than he had ever been his adult life. He needed to be touched! “Bucky..!”

“You feel warm all over,” Bucky continued, ignoring his plea. He shifted again, moving down to Steve’s lower half as he leaned over his cock. But despite Steve’s initial thought, Bucky did not take him into his throat. Instead, Bucky pressed a kiss to the inside of Steve’s left thigh, running his lips along the inner line of his muscle before he licked, gentle and slow, along the crease of his hip. “Yer warm all the way down to yer toes. Your whole body is warm, Stevie...” Bucky paused, sucking on the juncture of Steve’s hip, just where the skin met his groin until the sensitive skin there was stinging with the feeling of his blood pooling under the surface.

Steve bucked up, crying out at the touch as Bucky soothed the sting away with the tip of his tongue. “Now yer feeling my hand… it’s going down, down between your legs and pressing into your body. Your body is warm, welcoming and inviting as I reach deeper into you.”

Bucky didn't move. He kept his hands above Steve's hips, over his cock, as if proving to him that he hadn't touched him where he was describing at all. Even still, his breath came out even and slow against his skin, tickling Steve's flesh as he spoke in that same, maddeningly calm tone. "You're opening up for me baby. Feel yourself loosening up as I press my finger into your body. Stretching you... relaxing you. You can feel my finger thrusting up into your body, claiming you. You feel so good, babydoll... you can feel your cock getting harder, so hard it's leakin’."

Bucky chuckled. Suddenly Steve could feel one of Bucky's hands moving from over his groin down between his legs; but even still, he didn't touch him. His palm simple hovered over Steve's perineum, over his ass, and he stroked the air in a circle, drawing his pleasure out again with skill. "I add a second finger inside you and you accept me so well... yer loosenin’ up baby... I add a third finger. You're almost ready for me baby... are you ready for me? Can you feel me inside you?"

Steve panted, feeling his heart racing in his chest. Still, he kept his hands behind his head, but by now his chest was heaving for breath, sweat dotting his forehead and temples as his hips bucked up into the air, cock twitching desperately between his legs. He whimpered, groaning out in a needy, virginal whine. Fucking hell, he could _feel_ Bucky inside him, could feel his fingers scissoring him open until he felt his hole physically loosening up, readying for when Bucky would finally fuck him. Shit, he could feel himself stretching and his partner hadn’t even laid a finger on him. Holy shit, what the fuck was Bucky doing? Black magic? “Fuck... yeah... I feel you!” Steve whined, writhing back against the floor beneath himself.

Bucky chuckled, humming in his chest as he leaned over. His lips hovered just inches away from Steve’s straining cock, but never once touched his length. Instead, he breathed out a puff of warm air against his dick, deep, slow and steady as he breathed over his straining cock, teasing the silky skin with just his breath. “I remove my fingers from inside you, but it's not for long. You feel loose and ready for me... so ready for me baby. I move over you, ready to take you. Loosen up.... as you lay underneath me you can feel me push in... Feel my cock fill you up baby... stretching you beyond your limit, but it doesn't hurt does it? You're perfect. You’re content. You're loose for me."

Bucky groaned a little, sighing into the still air around them as if he actually seated himself inside his body. Steve shuddered as he felt himself stretched to capacity, feeling his lover's dick inside him, that same phantom sensation making him shiver violently under Bucky's aura. "You feel so good around my cock... so warm and tight. I'm inside you Stevie… it’s so deep and so warm and wet…”

He smiled up at him, leaning up to press little kisses up the broad expanse of Steve’s chest. His breathing came out shorter, more desperate and hungry, accented by those imagined thrusts into his body. “I'm thrusting up into your body, claiming you. Mine, my babydoll..." Bucky emphasized his hypnotic hold on Steve by waving his palm towards his hole, stroking the air as if he could thrust the very atmosphere into Steve's body. "You're feeling it… you’re getting close, aren’t ya baby...” Bucky smiled down at him as he pressed a kiss to his lips. “You’re so close... you can feel yourself about to cum. But hold yourself back… you want to go higher don’t you?”

Steve cried out, feeling the corners of his eyes burning with unshed tears. Fucking hell, his whole body felt like it was on _fire_! Every nerve in his body was firing off at once, his toes curling, his cock twitching desperately. He could feel a dribble of precum leaking from his dick, pooling onto his overheated stomach and his chest continued to heave and roll with desperate, frantic breaths. “Bucky… Buck!” Steve cried out. Tears built up in his eyes, welling over the edge and streaking down his face to the floor beneath him. His hips rocked up into the air, thrusting up into nothingness, his stomach muscles tensing and contracting as he fucked his hips upwards, looking for friction, but getting none.

Even without the touch he craved, he could still feel Bucky around him, inside him... He thought he was going crazy; he _had_ to be going crazy. He could fucking _feel_ Bucky’s cock inside him, but he hadn’t to claim him once. Not even a finger. He was going fucking insane. He needed to be touched, he needed it _now!_ But still, he kept his hands behind his head, though his fingers were digging into each other to hold on, his arms trembling viciously under the stress of it all. “Bucky... I’m so... close…!”

“I’ll take you higher, babydoll...” Bucky shifted, stretching out next to Steve. He leaned in, pressing his lips to his throat as he kissed the sensitive skin just above Steve’s shoulder. Bucky wrapped his lips around a section of skin, digging his teeth carefully into his flesh as he bit down into the sensitive spot and sucked a bruise into his flesh. “Can you still feel me inside you, baby?” Bucky moaned, licking over the bruised skin as he moved to a fresh crop of skin. “Can you feel me… rocking up into you, filling you up? You’re so hot… so hot around me, like a furnace… so tight…”

Bucky paused, kissing the hollow of Steve’s collarbone, before he leaned down and wrapped his lips around a nipple. He pumped his hand harder between his legs, urging Steve's energies and pleasure in and out of his body, drawing him closer to climax. Bucky sucked his nipple carefully, flicking his tongue over the budded flesh before biting down. “I’m gonna fill you up… you’re so hot, so needy for me. You feel me inside you, but you want more... you want so much more don’t you?”

Steve gasped, sobbing almost inaudibly into the room. His hands shot out from behind his head, one threading into Bucky’s hair, the other moving to take his own cock into his hand. But he whimpered when he felt Bucky's free hand gently take his fingers in his, holding it to his chest as he continued to suck his nipple. He continued to pump his right hand between his legs, stroking the air, thrusting his aura up into him. Steve whined, wordlessly begging for Bucky to let him touch himself. He fucking _needed_ it! He was going to bust like a balloon. He was going to cum, and Bucky hadn't even touched his cock; hadn't even touched his ass. “B-bucky! I’m gonna cum!” he cried out, rocking his hips into the air in frantic ruts of his hips.

“That’s it baby…” Bucky panted; even he sounded like he was on the edge of something powerful himself, his voice hitching slightly as he continued to kiss and suck Steve’s tit, bruising the skin further. He leaned up, pulling Steve into a kiss, needy and hungry in itself. “That’s it… let go baby... You wanna cum... You cum. You let go for me, baby… cum for me. Cum for me while I fuck you. Fuck you deep, hard… fill you up. Cum for me, baby. Cum now!”

Like a rubberband, the tension in Steve’s body snapped; he cried out, a broken sob in his chest as he came, his stomach contracting, his hips rocking up hard. He felt the warmth of his orgasm wash over him in a solid, rolling wave from the top of his head down to his feet, and his cock spurted to life, spilling over his stomach as he felt it twitching viciously with the wave of his orgasm. Pulses of pleasure rolled through him, making his skin prickle with gooseflesh as he rode out his release, a second wave of bliss tingling every inch of his skin.

The hot spurt of his cum on his stomach made him shiver against the chilly air around them both and his fingers dug into Bucky’s hair as he felt himself floating on a cloud of bliss. His tears still leaked down his face, staining his skin as he whined and cried. Holy shit, this orgasm wasn’t stopping.  He could still feel it rolling through his body, cock twitching weakly and spurting little dribbles of spunk onto his stomach until at long last, the waves of pleasure ebbed away entirely.

When the last dregs of his orgasm finally abated, Steve slumped back against the floor, panting heavily for breath; he tried to open his eyes, but the task felt almost impossible. He wanted to just lay there, in the throes of the best orgasm he’d ever had in his life, and never fucking move again. “Jesus... Christ…” he panted, finally cracking his eyes open. He looked up at Bucky, breathing ragged and exhausted as he slumped to the floor of the living room. “What th-the hell… the hell was that?”

Bucky grinned, stretching out next to him on the floor as if he hadn’t just brought Steve to the brink and back without even trying. “That was a tantric orgasm,” he said simply, as if he were just talking about the weather.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Steve breathed, letting his head slump back to the floor as he stared at the ceiling. “I’ve never felt like… anything like that before. That was so fuckin’ intense…”

Bucky chuckled, letting his fingers dance through the ropes of cum on Steve’s belly. “Well I'm real glad you liked it. I’m gonna have to thank Nat for teachin’ me that…”

Steve blinked, looking up at Bucky in confusion. He hadn’t expected _that_ answer out of Bucky. “Nat? Nat taught you how to do that?” he asked, trying to sit up. He didn’t know why, but he felt a little wiggle of jealousy in the pit of his stomach that Bucky had been so casual with his friend to let her do something like that to Bucky.

Bucky nodded, looking up at him. “Nat does massage on the side. She and I had a bet goin’. After I found out she claimed she could give hands-free orgasms to people, I bet her she couldn't do it to me.” He grinned, looking up at the ceiling. “Best 50 bucks I ever lost.”

Steve stared at him, confused and stunned by the whole thing. “So she taught you how to do that afterwards?”

“Yup. Got her to cum like 4 times in a row after I learned how to do it. It’s a neat trick…” Bucky looked up at him, his smile faltering a little. “I thought it’d be a good way to get you used to the idea of sex. Though I kinda did cheat. I wasn’t supposed to touch you at all. Not even kiss you.”

Steve listened, feeling himself relax a bit. Okay… so Bucky hadn’t actually touched Nat when he did this and neither did she. But he still couldn’t explain why he felt a little jealous at the idea of Natasha doing something so intimate with Bucky. It wasn’t like he’d known Bucky at the time...

But as he lay there trying to talk himself out of his jealousy, Steve felt Bucky shifting, moving away from him. Fuck. He’d fucked up. Bucky could tell what Steve was thinking… and now, Bucky was leaving him there.

HIs eyes snapped up to him, his words ready to beg Bucky to come back. _‘Please don’t leave me, I’m sorry I got jealous!’_ But before he could get the words out, Steve felt his legs lifted into the air and draped over strong shoulders. Steve looked down, past the mess of his cum on his belly and down between his legs; Bucky had propped himself up on the floor, Steve’s legs over his shoulders. Before Steve could even fathom what Bucky was doing, he watched his head plunge down, and he felt a hot puff of breath ghost over his asshole.

“Babydoll... yer thinkin’ too hard,” Bucky simpered.

Seconds later, Steve felt Buck’s tongue prodding into him, before he licked the flat of his tongue against his hole. All over again, Steve felt the zing of pleasure in his veins, and he moaned loudly, rocking his hips back against his lover’s face as he begged wordlessly for more. “B-b... buc-...”

“Shhh, baby… I’m not done with you yet.” Bucky cooed. He looked up at Steve, over the jut of his (surprisingly) still hard cock, and then dove back in again. Steve could feel his thumbs prying him apart, that deft tongue slipping against his asshole, until he felt the tip prod inside him, breaching his body.

“Oh fuck!” Steve gasped out, wrapping his legs around Bucky’s head as he let his own thump back against the floor beneath him. “Oh fuck… oh fuck, more… please…!’

Bucky hummed, his thumbs pressed into the rounds of Steve’s ass as he licked his way into Steve’s hole. Steve could feel Bucky’s cheeks pressed into his ass, the jut of his chin at his tailbone, his tongue… holy fuck, it was so deep inside him. Steve whimpered, screwing his hips back against his mouth as he sought out more of that wet, hot heat inside him. His stomach tingled, his dick twitched. He rocked back against his lover’s mouth, seeking out more from him.

Suddenly, Bucky’s tongue pulled out from his hole, only to lick a wet, wide streak up the perineum of his body; Steve shuddered viciously, trembling up his spine and behind his eyes in a firework at that tiny, seemingly innocent gesture. Steve cried out, his knees tensing around Bucky’s head as he felt that sinful tongue slip back into his loosening body again. He felt wet, used and pliant, loosened up by his tantric orgasm and pleading for Bucky to do more to him. “More… _more_ baby... _please_ …”

Bucky hummed again, shaking his head slightly as he wiggled his tongue inside Steve's body. As he did, Steve felt him slip his index finger in alongside his tongue, crooking it against the still slightly tense walls around him as he worked Steve open. Bucky curled his tongue up in tandem with the motion of his finger, pulling the muscle as he popped his tongue out, spat against his hole, and plunged back in. He groaned against his hole, mouthing wet against his muscle as he worked the tension out of Steve’s body, loosening him up further until he pulled away entirely. Bucky slipped up Steve’s torso, looming over him in a predatory stance as he stared into his eyes, his mouth obscenely wet, and his pupils dilated and hungry. Bucky smiled down at Steve and leaned down, pulling Steve into a kiss, heady and wanting. “I think… you should get these off of me…” Bucky murmured through the kiss.

Steve panted, a little confused as he darted his gaze down to his torso. Shit. Bucky was still wearing his jeans. Nodding frantically, Steve reached down, working the button and zipper open, and shoved them down his lover’s hips. But just as he prepared to push his jeans down further, Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a little foil square. It took Steve a moment to realize what it was but when he did, he looked up at Bucky with wide eyes. “You brought a condom?”

Bucky flushed, smiling meekly down at his lover before he shrugged a shoulder. “Thought I’d come prepared… just in case…” he murmured, grinning a little as he tore the foil open with his teeth. “I’m gonna work ya open some more baby but before I do...” Bucky paused, really looking into Steve’s eyes. “Are you ready? Do you wanna do this? I _will_ stop if you’re not ready…”

Steve stared at him, bowled over by the consideration, the sheer _care_ he saw in Buck’s eyes. His eyes burned with unshed tears, fresh and ready to fall, and he looked up, nodding. “Yes...” he choked out, smiling. “Yes… I’m ready…”

Bucky gazed down at him, his blue eyes searching for a lie in his words. When he found nothing, the smile that crept across his face was nothing short of radiant. He leaned down, pressing Steve into a gentle caress before suddenly grabbing his shoulder and giving it a tug. “C’mon… not on the floor. We’ll save the floor for when we’re real fuckin’ desperate.” With that, Bucky pulled Steve to his feet, and wrapped his fingers around his wrist.

Steve gasped as he was suddenly yanked towards the bedroom, blushing ashamedly as he peered down at his naked figure. His cock had flagged somewhere in time between his orgasm and being dragged towards the bedroom, and a sinking uncertainty began to worm its way back into his bones once again. He felt like he could drag his heels as his mind- the little portion of his mind that had been so carefully viced in the clutch of Sharon- began to holler at him, _‘What the hell are you doing?! You tried this whole thing once before and you FAILED MISERABLY. You’ve had nothing but steady girlfriends. Not boyfriends! You’re straight. Oh God he’s too perfect… **you’re gonna fuck this up**!!’_

But just when he felt like his nerves would get the better of him, Bucky looked back at Steve, his eyes shining happily; his smile was infectious and beautiful, and Steve’s world came crashing down around him in an instant. He’d had steady girlfriends, sure... but fucking hell he had never been as in love before, as he was with Bucky.

“Like hell, I am…” he muttered to himself; his heart skipped several beats in delight; his stomach clenched in pleasant warmth as he gazed right back into those beautiful blue eyes staring back at him like he was the universe.

“Like hell you’re what?” Bucky asked, tugging Steve into the bedroom. Without missing a beat, Bucky had the door shut behind them and his hands moving immediately to Steve’s hips. Even with his prying question, Bucky didn’t hesitate to latch those full lips at the base of Steve’s throat, sucking a dark mark into the pale skin.

Steve moaned, his head falling back as his hands latched onto Bucky’s shoulders. His fingers flexed dangerously as he held onto him for dear life; every thought fled him as he leaned into that solid body in front of him, and he squashed down that tiny, annoying little part of his mind that wanted to talk him out of this, for good.

Freed from his traitorous thoughts, his hands scrambled down Bucky’s biceps, to his hips, and his fingers grasped the flaps of his jeans. He pushed them down Bucky’s hips, finally freeing his date’s cock from inside those tight confines. Steve’s eyes darted down to his hips and he bit his lip, staring hungrily at his naked figure.

_‘Straight… yeah, right….’_

“Yo, earth to Stevie…” Bucky grinned, waving his hand in front of Steve’s face. That got his attention finally, and he looked up to see Bucky giving him a confused, slightly concerned smile. “You sure yer okay, baby?”

“Y-yeah… yeah I’m good… I’m real fucking good…” Steve whispered. To prove it, he wrapped his arm around Bucky’s neck and yanked him into a kiss, the two of them crashing together messily, and it was just _perfect_. Steve whimpered into the kiss, biting and suckling until he could feel the heat from Bucky’s swollen lips against the tip of his tongue as he licked out, getting a good taste of his own little world of perfection. “I can’t wait anymore… please..!”

Bucky laughed. Without a word, he steered them back towards the bed, and shoved Steve down onto the mattress without preamble. Steve watched with interest as Bucky shoved his jeans the rest of the way down his hips and kicked them across the room. Standing gloriously naked at the side of the bed, Bucky quickly rolled the condom onto the length of his cock and clambered up onto the bed. He pushed Steve right back into that kiss, looming over him as he pushed his back down against the mattress. “Okay, baby whatever you want… you wanna be on your back? Or your front? Whatever’s more comfortable for you.”

Steve gasped; his hand shot out and he wrapped his fingers around Bucky’s dick; it felt odd, feeling the stretched condom beneath his palm as he stroked him, but it only made it that much more real to him. They were doing this; they were _actually_ fucking doing this!

Steve shuddered needily beneath him, and spread his legs until he had his knees splayed out on either side of his lover’s hips. “Like this. I wanna look at you the first time.” he said; his voice was almost shy, and he darted his gaze away from Bucky, as if he were afraid that Bucky would laugh at him for such a silly sentiment.

Bucky did laugh, but it wasn’t in mockery. Instead, he planted his fists into the bedding on either side of Steve’s shoulders and leaned down. He tugged him into a kiss, though this time it was less forceful, and everything tender and reassuring that Steve needed. “But… we need lube and I need to open you up first, okay? Otherwise this is gonna hurt like a real fuckin’ bitch.”

It took Steve a split second to understand what he meant; when he did, Steve’s stomach did an excited flip-flop of delight as he realized what exactly that meant Bucky needed to do to him. “Lube… Lube in the side table.” Steve whimpered, pointing to the little drawer at his bedside table. As Bucky clambered off of him to grab the bottle, Steve scooted himself up the bed, tossed his glasses onto the table and propped his leg up, looking for all the world like he knew what the fuck he was doing (he didn’t). But knowing Bucky’s level of expertise, Steve had full confidence that Bucky would walk him through it gently, every step of the way.

Bucky snorted, turning his attention back on Steve as he fished the bottle out of the drawer. “Holy shit yer so fuckin’ needy… I love it,” he giggled. The cap of the bottle snapped opened and he drizzled a hefty portion of the slick fluid onto his fingers. Rubbing his thumb and fingers together to spread the slick around, Bucky settled himself back between Steve’s legs, and he looked up at him. “I’m gonna use two fingers this time, and you tell me when yer ready for another. Okay?”

Steve nodded, biting his lip. He let his head fall back to the pillow, staring up at the stippled ceiling as he waited for Bucky to join him on the bed. He remembered this… remembered fucking himself, contorted almost uncomfortably on the bed as he worked his own fingers into his body. He kind of had an idea of what two fingers could feel like, penetrating him so thoroughly.

But that’s not what he got. What he got instead, was the feeling of Bucky’s index and middle finger slowly circling the muscle of his hole, massaging it from the outside to get it nice and loose. It felt nice… a little different than his tongue, but no less pleasant. Steve groaned, biting his lip as he fought himself not to buck back against his fingers. After a moment, the circling of Bucky’s fingers ceased, and he felt the blunt tips of Bucky’s middle and index fingers begin prodding at him gently.

Steve could feel Bucky’s breath against his inner thigh and a shiver coursed through his very bones. He’d been so caught up in feeling Bucky attempt to finger him, he barely even noticed Bucky kissing languid trails up the inside of his thigh, licking wet stripes along his skin and nibbling the sensitive spots with kitten-like nibbles. Steve whimpered, looking down between his legs to see Bucky mouthing at the meat of his thigh and sucking a bruise into the skin. But just when he felt the bite of his teeth sinking into that same bruise on his thigh, Buck gave one good _push,_ and his two fingers were sliding up into his body without resistance.

Steve cried out, choking on a gasp as he bowed off of the bedding with a needy whine in his throat. What the hell, Bucky had just done this in the living room; it shouldn’t have felt any different. But with the new angle, Bucky could reach deeper into him and without hesitation, he scraped the tip of his finger over a bundle of nerves inside Steve that he’d completely forgotten even existed.

Steve was amazed he didn’t cum right on the spot.

“Oh holy FUCK!” Steve cried out, his back arching off of the bed as Bucky continued to stroke that little knob of bliss inside him. “Holy fuck, shitshitshit!!! OH God Buck…!”

“Whoa! You liked that huh?” Bucky laughed, looking up at him. Without a pause, he began to thrust his fingers into his hole, stroking the tense walls around him before he prodded at the nerves again. Liquid hot magma pooled in Steve’s stomach, and he keened, making Bucky grin like a lunatic. “Oh my God you’re a screamer… fuckin’ beautiful…”

“Bucky… please, _please_ I need more..!” Steve sobbed; he bit his lower lip so hard he thought he’d break the skin in an instant, but he didn’t fucking care. His fingertips dug into the blankets beneath him as his left leg twitched uselessly to the side of Bucky’s shoulders. His right leg... fuck he could barely hold it up anymore.

So Bucky did him a favor. He lifted Steve’s right leg and carefully draped it back over his shoulder, leaving him perfect access as he continued to thrust, twist and crook his fingers inside him. Steve couldn’t stop the litany of whimpers as he finally, gratefully, felt a third finger breach his ass, stretching him further. “Yer openin’ up so beautiful… I don’t even have to tell you what to do…” Bucky breathed, looking up at Steve’s flushed face in awe. “Try to relax a little more, babydoll… just a little more. I can already almost put a fourth finger inside you.”

“I don’t... don’t want fingers, Bucky. I want you!” Steve gritted out. He clawed at the blankets desperately, tugging at the cloth as his leg trembled on Bucky’s shoulder. “Please... please fuck me. Fuck me Bucky!”

“I will baby!” Bucky soothed. He leaned up, pressing kisses to Steve’s jumping, twitching belly, before he loomed over his groin again; he mercifully avoided Steve’s cock and Steve thanked him silently for the consideration. Knowing how wound up he was at that moment, if Bucky even thought of breathing against his length, it would have been game over and Steve would have cum so embarrassingly fast, he’d never live it down. “Just breathe. Breathe slow, breathe deep. Remember what it felt like out in the living room, a’right? Just calm down for me. I promise I’m gonna get there.”

Steve nodded, though the action took a lot more effort than it really should have. Taking huge gulping breaths of air, Steve allowed himself to relax back into the bed, closing his eyes as he willed himself to calm the fuck down. After a few, careful breaths, he found himself sinking into the bedding, riding high on the pleasure of being opened up, rather than the hectic, frantic lust that burned through his nerves like a river. Once he’d finally gotten himself loosened up a bit, Steve moaned as he felt the tip of a fourth finger finally spread him open. He bore down against Bucky’s hand, pushing himself back as much as he possibly could, before he realized that Bucky was hovering over him again.

With titanic effort, Steve opened his eyes and looked up to see Bucky smiling down at him. His hand was still buried in his ass, and Steve’s leg was still draped over his shoulder (‘ _Shit, I didn’t think I was that flexible…’_ ) but those eyes… they were all for Steve at that moment.

“Yer doin’ real good, baby…” Bucky cooed. He leaned down, pressing Steve into a tender kiss, still fingering him open with twists and crooks of his knuckles buried deeply in him. The kiss was nothing like their earlier play; no, this was something so buttery smooth and sweet, Steve thought he could pass out with delight. Bucky’s tongue flickered out, prodding its way into Steve’s as they lapped and suckled at one another. Lingering flavors of sugar, cigarette smoke, and alcohol caught on Steve’s tongue as he prodded his way in, sampling each and every inch of Bucky’s warm mouth until they were breathing in tandem, so totally fucking absorbed in one another the world didn’t matter anymore.

“Bucky…” Steve breathed. He reached up, cupping the back of his lover’s neck as he pulled him closer. He kissed a trail from Bucky’s mouth, to his cheek and down his throat. When he got to the stretch of skin over that strong collarbone of his, Steve leaned in and bit down, sucking his own mark into Bucky’s flesh and claiming him. “Fuck me…”

“Oh shit…!” Bucky moaned, a full body shudder rolling through him like a tidal wave as he nearly collapsed on Steve’s chest. Steve found, with a triumphant grin, Bucky’s most sensitive spot. “Fuck, fuck, do that again…”

“You mean this?” Steve asked. This time, he leaned in for the other side of his throat and bit down again. Grinning wildly, Steve found a wild urge thread through his senses like a cloying need and he bit down harder, marking a deep purple bruise into Bucky’s shoulder as he sucked and licked the abused skin with hungry delight.

“Fuck!” Bucky hissed, his hips jerking forward. Without waiting, Bucky removed his fingers from Steve’s ass, and snatched up the lube. He squirted more of that clear liquid into his palm and quickly slicked up his cock, getting the condom completely lubed up before he was settling himself between Steve’s legs. “Fuck I can’t hold on… tell me, if it hurts, baby… I’ll go slow, I swear but I can’t wait…”

Steve whimpered, shaking his head. “You’re not gonna hurt me. I know you won’t.” He pleaded, tightening his grip on his lover’s shoulder. “Just… fuck me. Fuck me please…”

“Well, when you beg me like that, how can I refuse?” Bucky asked. He moved up the bed, grabbing Steve’s left leg from the mattress and lifting it up to rest on his shoulder. “Lookit you, all propped up and ready for me. You look fuckin’ gorgeous…” Bucky groaned. He leaned down, tracing his tongue over his belly in little swirls, teasing the skin as he rocked hips forward.

Steve tensed, feeling the blunt tip of his cock against his hole. He couldn’t fight the little whimper that escaped him as he looked up at Bucky, begging him wordlessly to just _move_ dammit! “Buckyyy!!” he whined, squirming slightly beneath him.

Bucky laughed. Hiking himself further up the bedding, Bucky leaned in, prodding his cock against his hole with a few, dainty thrusts. Feeling some resistance still, Bucky reached down and gripped the base of his cock with his fingers, steadying himself. “Okay… here goes…”

Steve inhaled, closing his eyes as he felt the initial push of Bucky’s hips against his ass. It was tight, so fucking tight, and with each shallow thrust, Steve felt himself splitting a little bit more. But just when he felt that it would be too much for him to handle, Bucky gave one solid push, and slid in, his dick meeting resistance against the ridged walls of his ass as he bottomed out slow and steady. Steve cried out, his eyes flying open as he stared up at his lover in awe.

Holy fuck, they did it.

“Shit... shit! It’s so much…!” Steve cried, twisting himself back against his lap. He could barely feel the lines of his thighs against his ass, but already, he could feel himself growing acclimated to Bucky’s sheer size and girth inside him.

“Fuck! Holy fuck you’re tight, baby!” Bucky whimpered. He let his head fall forward, pressing his forehead to Steve’s shoulder as he tried to hold onto his sanity for a second longer. “Shit… oh my God baby you feel so fuckin’ good… _nngh_ …” Buck shifted, giving a little, experimental thrust into his body. “How… how are you…?”

Steve had no words. Instead, he whimpered, tightening his legs around Bucky’s neck as he stared up at him in complete, abject shock. Shaking his head, Steve leaned up, grabbing Bucky’s neck and yanking him back down into a kiss. Gone was the tender touch, the slow thrust. Steve needed him to move, and he needed him to move at that precise moment. “Don’t talk... just move!” he panted, tightening his grip on the back of his neck.

Bucky nodded in return, his breathless smile widening as he leaned in. He pressed a kiss to his lover’s lips, grinding forward before he withdrew. Then, without warning, he thrust back, splitting Steve as he picked up a steady pace, fucking him into the bedding with a tiny grunt of exertion.

Steve thought he was seeing stars. With each motion, he felt his hips lifted off the bed and dropped back down, the pace of Bucky’s thrusts hiking him further up the mattress. Steve’s fingers tightened on his shoulders and he cried out, drilling his head back into the pillow as he tried to hold on for dear life. Fuck, he’d never felt so incredibly wonderful; stuffed full and stretching around his length, Steve whined in the back of his throat as he pushed back against his hips, meeting Bucky’s thrusts in time to his motions. “ _Auuhhnnn_!! Bucky! Buck, shit! Oh God, harder! Harder, Bucky!” he pleaded, feeling his nails sinking into the stretched flesh of his shoulders with each drill that pushed him further back into the bedding.

Panting above him, Bucky keened in his throat, eyes locked on his partner as he was helpless to stop the pace from picking up. The air was hot, thick and musky between them, sounds of skin connecting in wet slides as they were joined in the most intimate embrace they could ever be in. “Lookit you…” Bucky laughed, breathing heavily through his nose. “Yer a fuckin’ champ… takin’ me so easy. _Fuck_!” he groaned out, hips stuttering as a particular twist of Steve’s hips beneath him caught him off guard. He leaned in, resting his elbows on the bedding; with this new position he picked up the pace, fucking him faster, harder and without remorse.

It was better than any fantasy Steve had ever experienced in his life. Already, he could feel his balls drawing up, the hot pool of lust coiling in the base of his spine. He was going to cum soon, and fuck if he was able to fight it off for long. One particular thrust caught its mark, dragging the head of Bucky’s cock across the nerves in his channel, and Steve screamed. He spilled over instantly, his dick spurting to life and twitching viciously as his orgasm washed over him to paint their skin in sticky ropes of cum. Lightning flared through his nerves, making his limbs feel heavy and numb as his walls fluttered around Bucky’s cock.

But it seemed that Bucky wasn’t through with him yet. Without a word, Bucky gripped Steve’s hips and withdrew from his body. Just as Steve whined at the sudden loss inside him, he felt his torso being pulled as he was flipped to his front. Face down into the bedding, Steve gasped as he looked up over his shoulder at Bucky, wondering what the hell he was doing.

“Hold still!” Bucky hissed. With his hands on his hips, Bucky thrust back into his hole, filling him up from behind and lifting his ass from the bedding for leverage. With their new position, Bucky lost total control and pistoned his hips desperately, thrusting into Steve with abandon. “Fuckin’ hot… yer so fuckin’ _hot_ baby!” Bucky grunted, fucking him from behind with fast, frantic rolls of his hips.

Steve gasped, pushing back against his lap; his oversensitive walls screamed with each pounding thrust, and he bit down into the pillow in front of him desperately. But after a moment, he couldn’t breathe around the stuffing of the pillow, and he twisted his head away, crying out into the room as Bucky fucked him mercilessly. Ass up, his sweaty chest pressed into the bedding, his fingers digging into the blankets, and his eyes screwed shut, Steve was sure he was the picture of raging lust as he was fucked from behind with wild intensity.

Fuck his neighbors. If he got noise complaints, Steve honestly didn’t give a shit.

Moments melded into one another until Steve lost total grasp on time. He had no idea how long they were like this, bent over each other in the bed and breathing in each other’s lust with desperation. All Steve knew was that he was definitely not going to be able to walk in the morning. As if he had plans to go anywhere. He just wanted Bucky! All night, all morning, all day and as long as he could have him. He’d never felt so utterly complete in his life. He’d never felt this much passion in bed with any of his previous partners, and all he could think of as he listened to his lover’s stilted breathing was _‘Bucky, Bucky, Buck!!!’_

“ _Nnngh_! Fuck, I’m close…” Bucky huffed, pressing his chest to the line of Steve’s back. Lifting his left hand from Steve’s shoulder, Bucky reached around and took hold of Steve’s cock (when the hell had he gotten hard again?), and pumped his fist over his length in fast, jerking strokes, timed to the rhythm of his hips.

Steve whimpered, his throat sore and dry, his ass beginning to burn with the heat of their friction. But all to his utter amazement, he could feel himself inching right back up to another orgasm, and wouldn’t that be a record for him? Three orgasms in one night, all within the span of an hour. He’d never cum this much in his life, and if Steve were a smart man, this was only the beginning of a very long string of record breaking orgasms in his life.

Steve was jarred away from his thoughts when he felt Bucky’s hips stuttering against his ass. He twisted around, looking up from his awkward vantage point enough that he could see Bucky’s face from where he was being pushed into the mattress. It wasn’t particularly comfortable, but Steve wouldn’t miss the chance to see Bucky orgasm for the first time if he could. His eyes locked on Bucky’s face, taking in the sight of his sweaty skin, flushed cheeks, and furrowed brow. His eyes were screwed shut, mouth hanging open in a perpetual “oh” as he tightened his grip on Steve’s hips until he was surely bruising his skin.

Moments later, Steve felt Bucky tear his hand away from his cock and push Steve’s hips down into the bedding, where he rutted up into his body with uncoordinated thrusts. He drilled impossibly deeper into his body, a broken record of skin against skin in the room, until at last he finally broke, filling up the condom as his cock pulsed and twitched inside his body. Bucky moaned loud and throaty, his hips slapping up into his ass until he finally stilled, milked for all he was worth in that tight, hot heat that Steve could give him.

Steve froze, staring at Bucky like he was the most beautiful work of art he’d ever see in his life. Bucky was a fucking masterpiece when he came, and Steve was sure he was going to be haunted by those images for the rest of his days. “Fucking hell…” he breathed, feeling twisted, used, and bruised underneath his lover’s heaving body. It was the most beautiful sensation he’d ever felt in his life.

“Hang on…” Bucky panted. He pulled out of Steve’s stretched hole and rolled him over to his back. He lunged down and swallowed Steve’s cock to the hilt, bobbing his head fast and hard and fingered his balls with the skill of a master. He looked up at Steve, his blue eyes obscured by the heat of want until his pupils were the only visible rings of color left in his eyes.

Steve shouted, bucking up into his throat as he fisted his fingers in Bucky’s hair. Fuck, if Bucky’s cock was a Godsend, Steve didn’t know what to describe his mouth. It was sin and mercy, hot and wet and soft all at the same time, and he didn’t honestly know which way was up or down anymore. After only a few seconds, his dick was pulsing once again, and he whimpered out a weak plea as he came down Bucky’s throat, his vision whiting out at the sides as his third orgasm of the night swept over him like a cloud of numbing bliss.

Both men collapsed to the bed at long last, worked over and exhausted as the throes of bliss continued to ebb through their bones. Steve didn’t move, too tired to even lift his hand. Not that he minded one bit; Bucky had collapsed onto his stomach, his cheek pillowed on his chest as he lay atop his lover to allow himself a moment to recover from their lovemaking. Steve huffed a breathy chuckle, reaching up to brush his fingers through Bucky’s sweaty hair for a moment. Only then, did he look down at his partner, and saw the specks of cum on the side of his mouth, and reality came back to Steve with a vengeance. He’d come right into his mouth. Shit. Did Bucky want that to happen? Or had he just lost total control and couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Fuck... fuck I’m...” Steve shuddered, looking highly embarrassed. He dropped his hand to the bed next to Bucky’s shoulder, looking down at him with an exhausted frown on his face. “I’m so sorry I didn’t… didn’t mean to-”

“Shut it,” Bucky laughed, wiping his mouth off on the back of his hand. He crawled up the bed towards Steve and flopped down next to him with a shit-eating-grin plastered all over his flushed features. “I wanted you to do that. Don’t tell anyone, but… I really fuckin’ like swallowin’,” he added, wagging a brow at him suggestively.

Oh.

Steve went limp, slightly relieved that he hadn’t ruined the moment by doing something totally disgusting to Bucky. Slumping back into the bedding, Steve cuddled up to Bucky’s side and stared up at the ceiling in exhaustion, completely blown over by what had just happened.

Three orgasms… he didn't honestly know what to do with himself. He felt boneless and heavy, but light and airy at the same time. And fucking Christ, he had never been more in love in his whole Goddamn life. “Jesus Christ…”

Bucky’s smile softened; he wrapped his arms around Steve’s torso, pulling him flush as they lay, naked and sweaty together in bed. “You okay? Did I go too hard? I’m sorry if I hurt ya, baby…” he murmured, peppering kisses up and down Steve’s throat.

“N-no!” Steve gasped, looking down at him. His smile lit his face and he laughed tiredly, wrapping his arms around Bucky in return. Face to face, the two men lay together, staring into each other’s eyes as they threaded their legs together, completely and totally wrapped up in their warmth to even care about the world outside their little haven. “No you didn’t... that was fucking amazing. _You’re_ amazing, Buck... I've never felt so wonderful in my whole life.” Steve bit his lip, staring into Bucky's’ eyes before he leaned in. Pressing a kiss to the bridge of his nose, Steve lingered, holding him close as he brushed his dark hair away from his face. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life…”

Bucky stared at him, his pulse visibly jumping beneath his skin. He swallowed thickly, letting his hand drift up and down Steve’s side before he finally spoke again. “You… you really mean that?”

“Yes,” Steve breathed, nodding happily at him. “I really mean that, Bucky.”

They didn’t speak for a moment. Caught up in each other’s aura, they barely paid attention as the moon crested over the sky and began it’s descent into the west. They only had eyes for each other, soaking up their heat and their affections without a care in the world.

It was only when they heard a scratching at the door, and looked up to see Scout nose his way in to look for attention from his owner, did they look at the clock. It was well past 3 in the morning and the crushing reality that their night had come to an end finally weighed on them both.

It was Bucky that sat up first. He shifted uncomfortably, looking at the door for a moment before his shoulders slumped. “I should... probably go. You probably had enough a me for one night, and I think I officially broke the first date curfew as it is,” he murmured. Looking down at Steve, he offered him a crooked smile. “You don’ hafta get up. I can see myself out…” With that, he pressed a kiss to Steve’s forehead, and scooted to the edge of the bed. He plucked the condom from his flaccid dick, tied off the rubber and tossed it into the trash before he bent to grab his jeans, looking more than slightly dejected that he had to go.

Steve watched him, feeling a clutching need in his belly. No… no, he didn't want Bucky to leave. He wanted him to spend the night with him. Steve _wanted_ to wake up with him in his arms in the morning, make horrible pancakes and eggs, and spend the whole Sunday with him. He didn’t want Bucky to feel like he had to leave just because it had only been their “first” date.

Fuck that.

Rolling to the edge of the bed, Steve reached out and snatched Bucky’s wrist in his hand. “No,” he said, looking up at him with big eyes. “Please don’t go. I want you to stay with me tonight,” he pleaded. He tugged on Bucky’s wrist, pulling him closer to the bed. He wasn’t above begging Bucky to stay if he really had to.

He just hoped Bucky wanted to stay too.

Bucky looked down at him, his eyes darting to where his fingers were wrapped around his wrist. It only took him a few moments to really calculate what Steve was saying, but when he did, his face lit up in relief and he nodded. Dropping his jeans to the floor again, Bucky crawled back into bed with Steve, shoving the blankets down so that he could tuck them into their warmth with an easy hand. “Okay, Stevie… I’ll make sure the boogeyman don’t get you,” he teased, winking at him as he curled up into the blankets with comfort.

Steve rolled his eyes and laughed, though he quickly wormed his way into the cocoon of Bucky’s arms anyway. Carefully tucking himself into his chest, Steve happily allowed Bucky to envelope him in his arms, his head tucked under the mechanic’s chin as he closed his eyes.

Steve never really liked feeling small, but this... this was the most comfortable he’d ever remembered being. Even if Bucky was just a hair shorter than he was, he’d never felt so safe, secure and wanted in his life. This… this was absolute perfection, and Steve couldn’t believe that he got to spend this night in the arms of the most amazing human being he’d ever met in his life.

But now, he could feel the pull of sleep at the corners of his eyes, and he stifled a yawn long enough to offer him up a parting word before they both fell asleep. “Goodnight, Bucky…” he murmured, drifting just slightly under the haze of slumber.

From Bucky’s response, he definitely was close to falling asleep too. “G’night, Stevie… sleep sweet...”

“Thank you for the amazing first date,” Steve added, pressing a kiss to the hollow of Buck’s throat happily. He got a muffled, mumbled response that he couldn’t quite understand in return, but that was okay by Steve.

In all his 27 years, Steve never slept better in his life. He didn’t dream, but that was alright by him, too. He didn’t need to dream when his best one had already come true.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next to come is the morning after their amazing night together. How will they both react to that? You'll just have to wait and see!!! :D


	9. Lace and Rouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is beautiful for the happy couple as they come to grow closer to each other than they ever have been with anyone else. To show Bucky just how much he means to him, Steve offers him the best gift he could possibly give. Bucky returns the favor by helping Steve find a side of him he never knew he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic number two I wrote over 3 weeks ago and never got around to updating! So my deepest apologies as its not beta'd at all. Yikes! At least we have another chapter up and running, and lemme tell you this is probably one of the most fun sex scenes I've ever written. I'm talking mewling, whining, back-scratching goodness. I even think Steve cries a little here.
> 
> ANYWAY ENJOY!!! Off to C2E2 this weekend, so I won't get to start up anymore updates until after the weekend is over!!! 
> 
> **Squick warning:** This chapter includes a sex scene where one party has sex while wearing women's lingerie. If this is a bother for you, stop reading after Bucky and Steve make cupcakes together, and pick up after this paragraph: 
> 
>  
> 
> _“Fuck… shit…” Bucky panted, drilling his knuckles into the table for any sort of support. Even his arms felt tired as he hung his head, letting a curtain of dark hair hide his face for a moment. Every so often, Steve’s walls clamped down around his oversensitive prick, making him jolt where he leaned against the desk. After a few minutes, he managed to gulp down enough air to get his feet back underneath himself long enough to withdraw from his lover’s abused hole. But only just barely._
> 
>  
> 
> If you do happen to skip the sex scene in this story, I hope you enjoy the plot building involved in the first half of the chapter! Read on, followers! ENJOY THE STUCKY!!!!

Fanart to go with this chapter! Drawn and colored by the amazing Lucid Nancy ([lucidnancyboy](http://lucidnancyboy.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr) for this chapter! Seriously, go check out her work, it's amazing!!!

Now onto the chapter!

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Bucky whimpered, his fingers tightening around Steve’s waist as he tilted his head back to let those sinful lips trace across his throat. He barely paid any attention to their surroundings, ignoring the hum of the bakery refrigerators buzzing quietly in the background as he slotted his thigh between Steve’s legs, letting the other rub himself up against his leg in a gentle, roll of his hips. Without wasting a minute, Bucky lifted his hand from Steve’s hip, pressing it to the cool wall behind Steve’s back as he turned his head, capturing him in a desperate kiss. With a low moan, Bucky prodded forward, tongue darting between Steve’s lips as he kissed him, feeling the tickle of Steve teasing him in return as the two of them made out in the back of the bakery.

After a long, marathon weekend of the best sex Bucky had had in his life, he was amazed he was as wound up as he was at that moment. After their spark-worthy first date, Bucky and Steve had woken up late Sunday morning, only to find themselves utterly resistant to the idea of getting out of bed. Mutually deciding that ‘naked was good’ they spent the rest of the day in bed, totally enthralled with one another as they kissed, fondled and fucked repeatedly until neither of them could move an inch. Christ, Steve was a champ, taking him as many times as he could; when he finally departed Steve’s apartment for the evening (totally shagged out and wrung dry), Bucky was absolutely certain Steve wouldn’t even be able to walk come Monday morning, let alone pounce him the minute he walked into the door of his shop. Never had he been more surprised in his life.

“Fuck!” Bucky gasped out in surprise as he felt Steve’s fingers rake over his chest. That cheeky son of a bitch tweaked his nipple hard beneath the warm cloth of his uniform shirt, and he bucked forward in response, cock drilling into Steve’s hip through the cloth of their pants. Huffing a reedy little whimper, Bucky pressed his forehead to Steve’s shoulder for a moment for support as he tried to get his feet back underneath him again. “Yer a fuckin’ little tease ya know that?!”

“I only try,” Steve chuckled; he sounded cool and collected as he spoke, but Bucky knew otherwise. The minute he looked up at him, he could see the flush in Steve’s cheeks, and the way his eyes dilated as he stared down at him with all the want in the world plastered on his face. “That’s what you get for making me have my first wet-dream in years last night, jerk.”

“S’not my fault you ran outta condoms, punk” Bucky shot back, grinning at him as he pushed his hand through his hair to brush the strands from his face. “Only a 4-pack? Shame on you.”

“Well if that’s how we’re gonna be, I’d better stock up on the industrial packages then, huh?” Steve laughed, pressing his forehead to Bucky’s.

Bucky could feel the bridge of Steve’s glasses against his forehead, and he smirked up at him, letting his hand roam down to grope at Steve’s ass where it was pressed up against the wall. “Yeah, I think that’s a real good idea, Stevie. Might wanna pick some up on yer way home tonight.”

“You seriously wanna go again?” Steve asked, looking both surprised and delighted at the notion.

“I ain’t got anywhere I gotta be tonight, and from the look of it, you want it just as bad as I do.” Bucky sneered up at Steve. He reached down and cupped his cock through Steve’s khakis, stroking his hand up the front of his pants to curl his fingers around his bulge just a bit. “And you were th’one that started gettin’ me all hot and bothered today, too. Don’ act all innocent, Rogers, I know you.”

“Dammit,” Steve groaned. His head thumped back against the wall behind him as he bucked into his hand, seeking out friction through the thick cloth of his pants. “You can’t blame me, it was only a little kiss!”

“Little kiss, my ass!” Bucky said, sounding scandalized at the thought. “I came in here, all innocent like, just lookin’ fer a cupcake and you jumped me, pract’cly over th’ counter. S’like you didn’ see me for years, instead’a just a couple hours!”

Steve could barely answer him for a moment; taken up in the pleasure of Bucky’s fingers teasing him through his pants, Steve shook his head before biting down on his lower lip in a vain attempt to get himself under control. “Okay, okay, I admit I was a little _eager_. But you let me sleep all alone last night.” Looking down at Bucky, Steve poked his now swollen lower lip out at him and pouted. “What was I supposed to do? You can’t walk your hot self in here and expect me not to lose my mind.”

“Well when ya put it like that,” Bucky muttered. Grinning wickedly up at Steve, he slowly dropped down to his knee in front of him, his fingers going to the fly of Steve’s khakis for a moment as he teased the zipper open.

“Don’t you dare!” Steve gasped, looking down at him in shock. “I’m still working!”

“Too bad, that’s yer punishment for gettin’ me all riled up on my break,” Bucky said wickedly. However, the moment he got Steve’s zip undone, an alarm went off on his phone, and he sighed, letting his forehead thump against Steve’s stomach with a whine. “Saved by the bell.”

“Did you really set an alarm on your phone?” Steve asked, grinning down at him in mild relief as he zipped his pants shut for the time being.

“Yeah, well, when Clint yelled at me fer bein’ 20 minutes late from my lunch break a few times, I learned my lesson,” Bucky grumbled, getting back to his feet. He looked down at himself and noted with dismay that he was still painfully hard inside his work pants. He sighed outwardly and brushed his tousled hair from his face to calm himself back down and offered Steve a knowing look. “Little shit.”

Steve only laughed again, pulling Bucky close; with his hand wrapped around his back, Steve leaned in and pressed his lips to the bridge of Bucky’s nose with a half-smirk. “Consider it a preview for tonight then. I’ll be at your place by 8 tonight. With condoms.”

“I knew there was somethin’ about you I liked,” Bucky breathed. He reached up and plucked Steve’s glasses from his nose, pulling him into a gentler kiss this time, a barely-there caress of lips as he breathed in his essence to get through a long afternoon. “8 o’clock it is then. Want me t’provide food fer tonight, or we goin’ halfsies again?”

“Get a pizza and I’ll pay you back for my half. You know what I like on it,” Steve replied, pulling away. As he did, he looked down at Bucky’s throat and he grimaced. “Jesus. I may have scarred you for the day. Or maybe it’s from yesterday.” He squinted down at the dark red mark on Bucky’s throat and he frowned. “I can’t tell.”

“Eh, whatever,” Bucky shrugged. With a quick twist of his wrist, he pulled his collar down and tucked the cloth beneath the straps of his work shirt, fully exposing his throat to the air around them. He stood proudly in front of Steve, tilting his head to show him his exposed skin. “How does it look? Obnoxiously obvious and vulgar?”

“Extremely. In fact I’d even stretch and say painfully so. Kinda looks like you got attacked by a vacuum hose.” Steve snorted, reaching out and encircling his fingers around the mark; from what Bucky could feel, the bruise in his throat was almost as wide as his palm. “I even think there’s teeth-marks in there for people to see.”

“Fuckin’ beautiful,” Bucky crooned. He plucked up his cell phone from the counter and retrieved the cupcake he’d chosen earlier in his break before gesturing to the register. “Lemme pay for this then I gotta go.”

“Just take it. As a thank you for the amazing weekend,” Steve replied. He followed Bucky out to the front of the shop and leaned his elbows against the countertop to give him a sultry gaze. “Only 7 more hours until I get to have you all to myself again. Hopefully multiple times, if you’re up for it.”

“Mmm babe don’ tease me like that,” Bucky whined, shifting on his feet as if he were unsure if he should leave or just tackle Steve back against the counter again. However, the secondary alarm he’d set on his phone in case he ignored the first went off at that moment, and he grumbled. “7 more fuckin’ hours. I’ll never make it.”

“You’re a tough guy. I believe in you,” Steve whispered, winking up at him.

Bucky returned the wink, saluting Steve at that moment before turning on his heel and high-tailing it out of the shop before he really did drag Steve to the back office for the afternoon. He fought like hell not to look back at the shop as he crossed the street and slipped into the garage with barely a minute to spare clocking back in. Once he was out of the heat of summer’s sun, Bucky sighed to himself, allowing the cool shade of the garage to calm down his libido at last. Luckily, his erection had flagged finally, leaving only a faint tingling of want in his nethers as he crossed into the break room to put his cupcake into the fridge. But just as he straightened up and closed the door, Bucky heard a hiss coming from the doorway and he looked up to see Brock staring at him with abject horror on his face.

“God _DAMN,_ what the fuckin’ hell happened to yer neck?!” Brock exclaimed, staring at Bucky’s throat as he approached him. Bending slightly, Brock really examined the hickey on Bucky’s skin, his eyes narrowed slightly. It didn’t take him long to put two-and-two together, and his eyes then bugged open in shock as he lurched back from him. “That’s a fuckin’ hickey.”

“Yup,” Bucky replied, grinning down at him before stuffing his hands into his pockets. He whistled a nonchalant tune under his breath as he waltzed back out to the floor, picking up the files Clint had set aside for him on his break. “That is, indeed, a hickey.”

Brock stared after him for a moment before scrambling to keep up with the smug bastard, siding up with him to level him with a demanding glance. “Holy fuck, bro, where the fuck do you get a hickey like that from? I thought you got fuckin’ mugged or somethin’!”

“Bucky went on a date with Steve on Saturday,” Clint chimed in, poking his head out from the office and giving him a pointed look. “The fucker didn’t call me after his date, so I assumed the worst. Now I just see he spent a blissful weekend fuckin’ the hell out of Steve. Which, by the way, cover that shit up, it’s not work appropriate.”

“Hale-fuckin-lluja!” Brock said, throwing his hands up into the air with a sigh. “Now I don’ hafta listen to him fuckin’ bitch about not gettin’ to date ‘im anymore!”

Bucky laughed, pressing his hands to the work table as he steadied himself for the time being. Looking up at Brock, he waggled a brow at him and grinned. “So’s that you sayin’ you want the gory details of the whole weekend? “Cause man, I could write a fuckin’ sonnet about it if ya really want.”

“ _Nooo,_ no, no no,” Brock protested, covering his ears and glaring at him. “I don’ need to hear about how you got fuckin’ laid this weekend. The hickey’s enough proof.”

“Bucky got a hickey?” Natasha asked, poking her head out of the office behind Clint and looking at him. When her eyes landed on the mark on his throat, she immediately crossed the room and tilted Bucky’s head back to get a good look at it. “Christ, it’s at least 2 inches long. What the shit are you dating, a vampire?”

“Maybe…” Bucky said, tilting his head in an innocent gesture. “Dunno. Wanna check out the other ones and see if that assumption is correct?”

“Oh Christ, he’s datin’ a Goddamn biter,” Brock groaned, covering his eyes and shaking his head. “You keep that shit covered up, I don’ need to have nightmares tonight about you screwin’ the guy stupid, ya hear me?”

Bucky snickered, swatting Natasha’s hand away from his throat and leveling Brock with a knowing look. “So what? You’re not gonna share how your date with Yelena went? That hardly seems fair, old man. I talk about the damage we caused each other all weekend, you share your date night. Fair’s fair.”

“Nu, uh. I don’ kiss and tell,” Brock shot back at him before crossing his arms over his chest and raising a haughty brow at them all. “Yer all gonna have to get yer kicks outta hearin’ about Bucky’s pornographic weekend. My lips are sealed.”

“He got a second date with her,” Natasha whispered into Bucky’s ear, grinning at Brock from across the room. “That’s why he won’t say anything. He doesn’t wanna jinx it.”

“Awww, that’s cute,” Bucky snickered just loud enough for Brock to hear him. “Old man’s in love. I’m gonna cry.”

“Fuck off, Barnes,” Brock rolled his eyes, turning to his work station and effectively ending the conversation there. However, Bucky could see from his side of the work station, the grin that threatened to cross the older man’s lips. As much as Bucky was having fun taunting the ever living hell out of Brock that afternoon, he really couldn’t shake how delighted he was to see the man looking happier than he had in weeks. It really had been a long time coming.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Bucky turned to see Natasha giving him a soft smile and he quirked his head in question. Natasha just shook her head, squeezing his shoulder gently. “In all honesty, Bucky, I’m glad to see you had a great weekend. I’m-” she paused, looking down at the floor. “I’m glad you found someone that’ll make you happy and won’t hurt you. I really am.”

Bucky’s smile softened to a thankful nod and he pulled her into a half-hug. “Thanks Nat. I’m real glad too. I think this time is gonna be different. Just wait and see. Steve is-” he paused, shaking his head before he let himself get too sappy. “It’s gonna be great. That’s all I’ll say.”

Natasha chuckled, gesturing back to his work station. “Alright, go float yourself on a cloud of happiness back to work. We got a line of cars waiting to get fixed. Get going. And cover the hickey!”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Bucky saluted, swathing his work bandana around his throat before turning his attention back to one of the files in hand. But just as he placed the folder down and turned to fetch his toolkit from the closet, Clint stepped out of the office, gesturing at Bucky.

“‘ey Buck, c’mere. Someone’s on the phone for you.” Clint leveled him with a look and narrowed his eyes. “And he sounds awful familiar too.”

Confused, Bucky turned away from the closet, though he had an idea of who it was Clint was talking about. Slipping into the office, Bucky picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear. “Barnes speaking.”

 _“Mm, sound so formal on the phone,”_ Steve’s voice floated over the speaker, sound far more amused than he should. Bucky instantly looked up to the window of the office to see Steve leaning against his counter through _his_ window, waving at Bucky with a grin on his face.   _“Was gonna wait to interrupt your day until later, but I couldn’t help myself.”_

“Uh huh. I think y’just missed me already and wanted t’hear my sweet, sultry voice one more time,” Bucky murmured, grinning at him through the window. He carelessly let his fingers run over the buttons on the phone, clicking the plastic beneath his nails as he listened to Steve’s voice. _‘Christ I love listenin’ to him talk…’_  

“So how come you decided t’call me anyway?”

Steve shrugged, waving at Bucky through the window again before slapping on a sappy grin and holding up his canister of sprinkles. _“Forgot to ask while you were here earlier, if you wanted sprinkles on your cupcake. I would have remembered to ask you, but you kinda distracted me with your hand down my pants. Your fault, totally.”_

Bucky laughed, tilting his head back slightly as he gazed at him through the window with a tempting look on his face. He wasn’t entirely sure if Steve could see him very well, but it didn’t stop him from laying on the charm while he could. “Mm, guess that was my fault. I’ll take the blame for that one.” Lowering his head, he leaned over the desk, so that his face was in full view of the window and he grinned. “How about this? You forget the money for dinner tonight and just bring whipped cream and sprinkles with yer rubbers, and I’ll let you lick those sprinkles offa me all night if ya want. Fair?’

 _“Oooh, sounds totally fair to me,”_ Steve murmured, visibly shivering as he met Bucky’s gaze from across the street. _“Only 6 and a half more hours until I get to lick you all over, Bucky… I can hardly wait.”_

Bucky grinned at the thought and nodded. Just then, he heard shouting coming from the garage floor and he looked up to see his coworkers and friends visibly retching at the sound of their conversation. Bucky barked a laugh at their raging threats, and looked up to see Steve glancing at the garage just in time to witness Brock throwing his work rag down on his work bench with a shout.

_“You put us on speaker phone didn’t you?”_

Bucky shrugged, casting an innocent look at Steve before glancing down at the phone on the desk. Sure enough, the PA button was illuminated bright red, and he grinned, stuffing his hand into his pocket proudly. “Yup. Totally did. I think Clint even took out his hearing aides.”

 _“You devious bastard. You’re amazing,”_ Steve laughed.

“You love it.” Bucky looked up to see Clint banging on the door, shouting at him to get off the phone or so help him, Bucky, he was going to wring his neck, and he snickered. “I gotta go. ‘Bout to get my ass chewed out. See you tonight, baby.”

_“See you tonight, Bucky. Shirtless, I hope.”_

Bucky laughed outright, finally hanging up the phone just in time for Clint to come barging in and throw him out of the office with a cuff upside the head. As he returned to his workstation, he received the world’s most offended look from Brock and offered him a cheesy smile in return. “So, about your date…”

The screwdriver thrown at his head was totally worth the look on his face.

* * *

 

Steve tightened his grip on the steering wheel, casting glances out of the corner of his eye towards Bucky every so often as he navigated traffic. He felt a small pang of anxiety in his chest every time he hit a red light or got stuck behind someone that was driving too slow, and he kept looking down at the clock in anticipation. He hadn’t closed up shop early for Bucky, only to have the whole thing ruined by missing his opportunity, dammit!

To his right, Bucky cleared his throat, glancing over at Steve for a moment before breaking into an uncertain smirk. “So where’we goin?” he asked, turning to face him fully. “Seriously, th’radio silence over there is startin’ to get t’me, babe.” Reaching over, Bucky brushed his fingers through Steve’s hair for a moment before running his thumb over the shell of his ear. “Or am I s’pposed to assume ya just kidnapped me and you’re takin’ me away someplace far, far away where no one will find us?”

Steve relaxed, looking at Bucky for a moment before returning his attention to the road. “Trust me, we’re almost there. I wanted to get your opinion on something and I couldn’t just ask you straight out. It’s better if I just show you.”

“Yer ears are turnin’ red again,” Bucky said, pinching his earlobe. “Where’we really goin’? C’mon you know you can’t lie to me, Stevie.”

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. “No seriously, I just need to ask your opinion on something.”

“Uh huh. Makes total sense for you to close up shop early’n drag me out to who knows where just to show me somethin’. Lord have mercy on you if anyone asked you to be a secret agent.”

“Nah, couldn’t do it. I’m more of the “leadership” type, than the stealthy type,” Steve agreed. Reaching up, he took Bucky’s hand in his and pressed his lips to his knuckles. “Now stop complaining and enjoy the car ride.”

“Yes, Sir,” Bucky shot back saluting him before settling back into the seat with a grin. He ran his thumb over Steve’s knuckles in return, happily caressing his skin as he lounged back with a smile on his lips.

Steve glanced over at Bucky again, watching him fondly as he waited for the traffic light to change. While he was getting anxious about arriving at their destination in time, he couldn’t help but take the moment to really look at Bucky and revel in the way the setting sun cast a soft, amber glow across his smooth skin. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Bucky’s face, nor the way his smile lit up his features so much, it rivaled the glow of the setting sun. When Bucky met his gaze again and offered him a cheeky wink, Steve felt his stomach fluttering happily and he squeezed his hand.

Steve honestly couldn’t believe it had only been two weeks since their first official date together. The way the two men clicked was nothing short of perfection; when someone could finish Steve’s sentences without prompting, or treated him like a prince 110% of the time, Steve wondered why he’d waited so long to find Bucky in his life. He’d never felt such a connection to another human being, and as the days passed, that connection only seemed to grow between them.

Their days became a cycle; if they hadn’t slept over at each other’s apartments the night before, Steve would constantly wake up to a good morning message (text or voicemail, it didn’t honestly matter) from Bucky, inquiring if he had slept well the night before, and that he would see him later that day. Bucky would then come over to the shop on his break, every day right at the stroke of 1 o’clock, and the two would talk, cuddle, or just plain make out in the back of the shop until he had to return to the garage for the remainder of the day. Then the two would end their day together, either catching a bite to eat or cooking at one of their apartments before settling in for movies, reading, or playful banter over their days.

Okay, so Steve may have done most of the cooking for the two of them. It quickly became apparent that Bucky could easily burn water, and had absolutely no talent when it came to the art of cooking a full meal. Ramen, eggs and cold cut sandwiches aside, Bucky was a lost cause when it came to the culinary arts, despite his protests that he could “get by on less”.

It was honestly the cutest thing he’d ever experienced in his life; on one of the nights Bucky had attempted to cook dinner for the two of them, Steve had tried his level best to keep from teasing Bucky as he watched him struggle to make sure a pot of spaghetti didn’t burn or boil over. When that failed epically, he cried laughing when Bucky accidentally turned the whole pot into one starchy, gloppy mess after letting it cook for too long. Bucky had been a great sport about the whole thing, though he did take Steve’s teasing to heart and promised him he’d learn how to cook at least somewhat, especially when Steve reminded him he couldn’t live on take-out for the rest of his life. The night of the spaghetti fiasco did result in the two of them having to order out dinner anyway, and as they ate not-so authentic Italian pizza bread together, Steve promised Bucky he’d take care of the cooking until he got a handle on the task himself. It really turned out to be a great deal, when in exchange for Steve buying them dinner that night, he’d gotten the best blow/rim job from Bucky to date, as a thank you.

Speaking of sex, Steve had never in his life, _dreamed_ of having as much sex as he and Bucky shared. Steve had thought he’d been a pretty good partner in bed; never had he been so wrong in his whole life.

It seemed that where Bucky lacked in cooking skills, he _more_ than made up for with sexual prowess. Two weeks later, and Steve had totally lost count of the numerous orgasms he’d received from Bucky since they started dating. It had most certainly been a lesson for Steve, learning how his body could bend, or how to touch himself while Bucky fucked him beautifully into the mattress. He learned where all of Bucky’s sensitive spots were, and learned that he himself orgasmed best when he was on his hands and knees, his back arched up into Bucky’s chest and sucking a finger while Bucky rutted into him to plow into his prostate with each and every thrust.

Or when he’d find himself straddling Bucky’s lap and bouncing on his cock, he learned that Bucky loved this position best because it gave him free access to stroke his dick and nipples while Steve’s fingernails would lay waste to his chest and back as he clawed at Bucky, holding onto him for dear life.

Steve really thought he might be too sore to have so much sex, but he quickly grew to realize that he was totally obsessed with it; he relished the feeling of bite marks and bruises on his skin, or the way Bucky’s fingernails would dig into his hips as he pounded into him. But as much as he loved their rough, passionate sex, Steve couldn’t help but secretly adore the times when the two of them would slow things down just a bit, and really take the time to explore each other all over again. Those moments, when Steve was on his back, and Bucky loomed over him, Steve would wrap his legs around his waist and hold him closer, his arms encircling his shoulders until the two were chest to chest and the pace was slow and sweet.

Those times might not have been frenzied or lust-filled, but Steve cherished those intimate moments all the same. Steve loved being able to kiss and caress Bucky, really taste his essence and breathe in his spirit as they nuzzled and nipped, smiling at each other as if the world didn’t matter around them. Those orgasms were never as powerful or exciting, but Steve loved them for different reasons altogether. And going from the way Bucky would happily muse sweet-nothings and pillow his head on his chest to trace nonsensical patterns into his skin, Bucky loved it just as much.

Steve was so caught up in his thoughts, he barely noticed that they had finally arrived at their destination. He shook himself back to the present the minute Bucky touched his shoulder, and he cast a grateful nod to his partner for snapping him out of his trance. Ah right, onto their prize, the sole reason Steve had dragged Bucky out in the first place.

Next to him, Bucky shifted as he sat up in his seat, really giving their location a look. “The beach? Why’re we at the beach?” Bucky asked, looking over at Steve inquisitively. “Y’showin’ me the beach… why?”

Steve smirked, glancing at him for a moment before turning his attention back to the parking slot he’d turned into. “You'll see. Get out of the car.”

Clearly confused, Bucky got out of the car, and stood awkwardly by the door for a moment, waiting for Steve to follow suit. When he did, Bucky turned to him and placed his hands on his hips with a nod. “Okay, spill. What’s goin’ on? What’re you doin’ to me out here, where no one else can see?” he asked, raising a challenging brow at him. “Kinda hopin’ it’s something dirty, if ya ask me…”

Steve snorted, shaking his head at his date with an amused twinkle in his eye. “Dirty huh? Well there’s sand everywhere, so I think that about covers it.” Rolling his eyes affectionately, Steve crossed over to the back of the car and popped the trunk open; he bent down, grabbing his things quickly, before standing up to brandish two bottles of wine in Bucky’s direction. “So the big, important opinion I needed from you. What do you think goes well with a sunset? Red or white?”

For a moment, Bucky didn’t speak. He simply stared at Steve, his eyes wide before he barked a laugh and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Seriously? You kidnapped me for a date and you didn’t tell me?!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Steve chuckled, motioning for Bucky to come closer. When he did, he watched with amusement as Bucky’s eyes widened at the sight of the picnic basket in his trunk, next to the folded square of a checkered tablecloth and some wine glasses waiting to be used. “I figured you deserved a really nice date since you’ve been so good to me over the past couple weeks. I hope it’s not too much.”

Bucky looked up at Steve, his cheeks flushed red before he threw his arms around his neck. Pulling him into a kiss, Bucky nuzzled into his front and laughed. “Yer somethin’ else, ya know that? How come ya didn’t just tell me?! I ain’t dressed properly for such a nice date, Stevie!”

“Oh please, you’re dressed just fine,” Steve replied. He pulled back and gestured to his own, red white and blue checkered shirt before grinning. “I’m not decked up super nice either, but if you really feel like you're not dressed for the occasion, then open the basket.”

“Oh my God, what else did ya get me?” Bucky asked. Grinning stupidly, Bucky turned to the basket and opened the lid. When he did, Steve watched with delight as Bucky’s eyes widened impossibly further at the gift inside it.

“Oh shit,” Bucky laughed, reaching into the basket. He extracted a tank top from inside, holding up the black cloth with delight as he examined the pink and blue lettering happily. “‘Inconceivable’. Christ, where did you find a Princess Bride tank top at?!”

Steve shrugged, looking innocent as he scratched at his chest with an innocent look. “Gee I dunno. I guess you can find a lot of really great things on the internet, you know that?”

“Aw shuddup and come here.”

Steve laughed as Bucky pulled him into another kiss, and he wrapped his arms around his waist with a happy sound. He pressed his lips to Bucky’s forehead, nuzzling into his front as he relished the feeling of his arms around his waist. “C’mon, babe, let’s go set this up and eat. I’m starving.”

“Hold on and lemme change into this. This calls for wearin’ the proper attire for _this_ date.” With a swish, Bucky stepped back and tugged his own t-shirt off, tossing it into Steve’s trunk before slipping on the tank top. It fit perfectly across his chest, and he turned side to side, letting Steve get a good look at him in the new garment. “How does it look? Perfect?”

“Of course. I’m really glad it fits. I had to sort of guess the size since I don’t really get a good look at your clothing all over my floor,” Steve giggled, plucking up the picnic basket and gesturing to the beach. “Cmon, let’s go eat.”

With that, the two of them headed out to the beach together, Bucky carrying the tablecloth and wine, while Steve picked out a spot near the water and set the basket down. With a careful hand, the two of them spread out the tablecloth together and sat down, curling into each other’s sides as they fished out different foods from inside the basket and poured the wine. Steve was grateful that the wind wasn’t strong; he really didn’t want to imagine trying to eat strawberries and wine with sand blowing everywhere.

As the two of them ate together, playfully feeding each other bites of food and laughing, Steve watched the sunset fondly. His arm remained wrapped around Bucky’s waist, holding him close to his side so he could press his forehead to Bucky’s temple every so often or kiss his neck when he felt it necessary. It didn’t take long for the sun to make it’s final descent over the city scape behind them, and he watched happily as the last of the golden rays reflected off of the water in front of them until the little flecks of golden gems faded away to the ripples of silvery water.

All too soon, the food had been consumed and the wine drunk, until the two of them were left with nothing else but to curl up into each other’s sides, stretched out on the tablecloth together as they chatted about their day. Steve told the story of how he begged Tony to come in long enough to close up shop for him so he could fetch their picnic supplies for that evening. He recounted how miffed Tony had been when he begged him for a few hours to go shopping, teasing him mercilessly about how domestic the two of them had become and “where the hell did the Steve I used to know go?” Really, Steve hadn’t been bothered in the slightest by Tony’s jesting; how could he really, when it was so true?

Bucky countered the tale with his own day, telling of an experience he had with an angry customer that day. He told Steve how it took every ounce of effort not to laugh in her face when she tried to tell him how to fix her car. It made Steve snicker outright when Bucky informed him that she’d attempted to “repair” her own vehicle by using super glue inside the engine block and had voided any and all warranties with them from the last time she’d had her car repaired. Clearly, this woman had been the talk of the garage for the rest of the day after she threw her Perrier all over the front of Bucky’s jumpsuit and told him to suck eggs before trying to drive her car home and broke down a block away from the garage.

Shortly after Bucky had finished his humorous tale, the two of them packed up their supplies and stowed them away in the car before deciding a brief walk down the beach together would hit the spot while they digested their dinner and worked off their wine buzz. Once the two of them had secured their belongings in the car, they turned back to the beach hand in hand, and strolled off in silence to listen to the waves lapping against the sand. All in all, it turned out to be one of the best dates Steve had ever been on in his life; save for their very first one, Steve chalked this up as the most romantic and wonderful evening he’d spent in a very long time.

“I’m really glad you decided to join me tonight,” Steve murmured after an extended period of silence between them. Turning to face him, he pulled Bucky’s hands up to his lips and pressed loving kisses to his palms one by one, his eyes never leaving his partner’s face as he spoke. “Seriously, I was actually worried you wouldn’t want to go.”

“How come?” Bucky asked, tilting his head in curiosity. “Why wouldn’t I wanna go on a date with you? I love bein’ with you!”

“I know,” Steve said, looking a little embarrassed at the idea. “I dunno just was. We haven’t done anything romantic like that yet, and I didn’t know if you’d be, well… scared off if I suggested something like that.”

Bucky watched him, his curiosity melting into adoration. Shaking his head at Steve, Bucky leaned in and cupped his palm on the back of Steve’s head; tugging him down into a kiss, Bucky leaned into the gesture readily, tongue prodding forward to seek entrance between his lips. It wasn’t rough or demanding, nor was it remotely primal. Bucky simply leaned into the touch, his fingers massaging the back of Steve’s head as their lips brushed, breath shallow as they bumped noses and licked into each other’s mouths with delight.

Bucky chuckled, a breathy sound leaving him as he sucked on Steve’s lower lip gently. Pulling back, he allowed his teeth to catch on his lip until he was tugging it firmly. Steve could feel his lip swelling at the touch and he groaned, digging his fingers into Bucky’s hips as he held him steady.

After a moment, Steve felt his partner pull back and he opened his eyes to see Bucky giving him a knowing look. “Stevie, yer a real big dope you know that?” Bucky asked. He reached up and thumbed over Steve’s swollen lower lip before laughing. “You don’t gotta worry about me goin’ anywhere, or you bein’ too romantic around me. I may not be real smooth, but I really like ya, and I love anythin’ we do together. You don’t gotta be worried about asking me for anythin’. You wanna take this the romantic way? I’m more than on board with that.”

“You really mean that?” Steve asked, his heart skipping to life in giddy anticipation.

“Yup. And I think I got th’ perfect way to cap off this date with ya,” Bucky added. Stepping back, Bucky grabbed Steve’s hands in his and tugged him towards the car. “Show me how to bake.”

That had certainly not been what Steve was expecting him to ask him. Confused, Steve followed after Bucky, before jogging to catch up with his pace. “Show you how to bake? You mean at my shop?”

“Uh huh,” Bucky replied. He laced their fingers together and bumped into Steve’s side before beaming up at him. “I want you t’show me how to bake. You said I gotta work on my cookin’ skills, right? Well I wanna see you work your magic for real, and I wanna share in that with you. So, whatdya say?”

What did he say? Steve thought it was the best idea in the whole world! Shivering with anticipation, Steve leaned in and pressed his lips to Bucky’s forehead happily. “And you say you’re not really smooth, you liar.”

“Sooo, I take that as a yes?”

Steve laughed, pressing a multitude of butterfly kisses to his partner’s brow. He’d certainly struck gold with this one that was for sure. “Yes, I’d love to do that! We can go back to my place afterwards for the rest of the night if you want.”

“And what a better way to finish off th’ night then, huh?” Bucky asked, dragging Steve to the car. “Hurry up! I wanna do appropriate things with frosting this time!”

Steve followed after, grinning at Bucky’s enthusiasm as he jogged to keep up with his date’s pace. Sure, he might have had other plans with Bucky in mind, but that didn’t stop him from following after. Bucky wanted him to show him what he did in the kitchen for a living and he wanted to share in that joy for himself. It was more than he had ever expected out of anyone, and Steve couldn’t have been happier to enjoy this moment with him. ‘Appropriate things with frosting this time.’ If Steve had any say in that, he was more than certain he could change Bucky’s mind if he really wanted. And with his final surprise for the evening, Steve was more than confident that Bucky would love what he had in store for him...

* * *

 

Well, this was turning out to be harder than it looked. Bucky stared down at the bowl in front of him, his mind running rampant as he tried to remember exactly how many cups of milk he had to add to the portions of flour Steve had measured out for him, before glancing at the bag of sugar next to him in trepidation. Damn, Steve had a lot of patience for this stuff. It had definitely turned out to be more of a science than he had thought, and he picked up the whisk next to him with a frown, ready to beat the fresh batch of cake mix together for their second round that night.

Behind him, Bucky heard the clang of the oven door opening and he looked up to see Steve pulling out a cupcake tin full of freshly baked cakes from the oven. The smell was heavenly, and Bucky found himself drooling slightly at the smell as he turned away from his bowl to give Steve a happy nod. “Smells real good, Stevie,” Bucky said, crossing his arms over his chest. “So we gotta frost em now right?”

“Not until they’re cool or else we’ll just break off the tops,” Steve answered, setting the tin down on the counter to cool off for a bit. As he did, he turned to see Bucky hovering awkwardly in front of the bowl, and he smirked. “What’s wrong?”

Bucky looked down at his bowl and he shrugged. “Nothin’ just… wanted to make sure I put the right amount of sugar in. Didn’t wanna ruin your batch for ya, just in case, ya know?”

Steve nodded, crossing over to stand behind Bucky. Looking down at the bowl, he chuckled. “You’re doing okay. Pour in the sugar and whisk it together.”

Bucky nodded, turning back to the bowl at his request. He picked up the whisk and held it gently, casting a small smiled up at Steve before getting to work. As he began to whisk the ingredients together, he flinched when a dollop of batter flew out and hit the counter, followed by a spray of dry sugar and he winced a little. “Woops…”

“Not so hard,” Steve laughed. He moved to stand right behind Bucky, and rested his hands on his hips. “You gotta be gentle with it. Here, lemme show you.”

Carefully, Steve placed his hands on Bucky’s wrists, guiding his hands as he tilted the bowl at the proper angle. With a careful, circular twist of his wrist, Steve guided Bucky through the process of whisking the batter together, turning the clumpy mess into a creamy, smooth texture in the bowl. “There. Just like that. You gotta be gentle with it, or else you’re gonna throw out half of your stuff and then get clumps of dry powder at the bottom that won’t bake out right.”

“Gotcha,” Bucky murmured. He looked up at Steve, grinning at him before leaning back into his chest with a happy sigh. “Yer way better at this whole cookin’ thing than I’ll ever be. Cookin’ scares me, honestly.”

“How come?” Steve asked. He rested his chin on Bucky’s shoulder as he spoke, giving him an innocent look from his vantage point. “You work with cars every day. That’s way more difficult than baking.”

“I dunno,” Bucky said. He shrugged his shoulder and returned to his task of whisking the batter together, before setting it aside to rest. As he did, he turned around in the cradle of Steve’s arms and wrapped his own around his back. “It’s all so delicate ya know? I’m afraid if I do somethin’ wrong, I’ll fuck it up and then there goes all that food down the garbage. Plus this is yer job, so I don’t wanna cost you money you don’t need to be wastin’.”

Steve smiled at him, nodding in understanding. As he did, he stood upright and brushed a dot of flour from Bucky’s cheek carefully. “You know when I started this, I didn’t know how to bake either, right? I just watched my mom growing up, and thought she always was the best in the kitchen. So when I went to college and studied art, I kept thinking to myself, “What can I do to be the best at something? How can I make a difference?” So I thought about different creative mediums, and realized that cooking is just another one. I wanted to make a difference and break the norms of everyone's expectations and thought ‘Yeah… I think I can do this. I can make baking into an art that everyone would love.’ And guess what?”

“What?” Bucky asked, intrigued by this story.

“I was terrible at it. I made so many mistakes with cooking and baking, and just basically ruined every cake pan I touched.” Steve laughed, pushing his glasses up to his crown and shaking his head. “I almost gave up on it, but that wasn’t the way I was raised. Rogers’ don’t give up. I never backed down from a challenge, and I wasn’t about to let some cake batter get the better of me. So I kept practicing and trying and then suddenly it just clicked. I found my passion and I never looked back from it.” He paused and leaned in, letting his nose brush Bucky’s for the moment. “And I lost a lot more cake batter than just a few drops here and there.”

Bucky listened, touched by the story, before he broke into a small smile. “Well, damn,” he chuckled, looking down at the bowl of batter at his side. “Guess that does make me feel a li’l better then.”

“Yup. See? There’s nothing to worry about; even the best start off somewhere. I’m pretty sure you weren’t great at fixing cars right away either.”

“Actually, I came outta the womb fixing braking systems and naming off car parts, so I dunno where you got that idea from. I’m fuckin’ flawless in the garage,” Bucky said, flipping his hair dramatically. He glanced up at Steve, and burst into snickers at the look he got from him. “You agreed to start datin’ me, its yer problem dealin’ with this side of me now.”

“What did I get myself into,” Steve sighed, rubbing his forehead before flashing him a wink. “C’mon. I think the cupcakes are ready to be frosted now.”

Bucky nodded in return, putting the bowl down and stepping up to Steve’s side. He glanced down at the cakes and watched as Steve popped each one out of the tin carefully, never leaving a single crumb behind as he did. As he watched Steve extract the cupcakes from the baking tin, he was hit with another wave of vanilla scent, and he groaned in the back of his throat. “Mmm… smells so damn good.”

“Yeah, I gotta admit this is part of why I wanted to become a baker,” Steve admitted, carefully placing the cakes down onto the rack. Once he’d finished, he turned to the back counter and picked up a couple of piping bags and two tins of frosting. He carefully placed his items down onto the counter and opened the tins to reveal a creamy white mixture inside, gesturing to Bucky to join him by the cooling rack.

Bucky leaned over, looking at the tins carefully before huffing in confusion. “White frosting? I thought you had colored frosting here.”

“It’s cheaper to buy plain frosting. That way I can add color however I want.” Steve bent down and retrieved a couple bottles of food coloring from the cupboard, holding them up. “Which colors do you want to use?”

Oh boy, Steve was trusting him with the color this time? Now that was an honor he couldn’t refuse. Unable to stop smiling, Bucky looked over the bottles in Steve’s hand before pointing at two of them. “Those two. Why not?”

“Why not indeed,” Steve chuckled. Placing the rest of the bottles down, he handed one to Bucky and uncapped his own, pricking the top with a needle to get the spout flowing. “Okay, so for a tin this size, you squirt in just a couple drops of coloring. Add as much as you want if you want to make it darker.”

Nodding, Bucky uncapped his bottle and squirted in a few drops; he flinched when the plastic bottle sprayed too quickly and he glanced down at the counter where the drops had settled on the white surface, bright red against the white background. He quickly swiped his hand over the drops, but frowned when the red coloring left behind a pinkish stain on the counter. “Dammit…”

“It’s okay,” Steve reassured him, already mixing in his blue dye and spooning it into a piping bag. “That’s why I have bleach. It’ll come out.”

Feeling better about his mistake, Bucky put the bottle down and began mixing in the dye into his frosting. He noted, with amusement, that the dye had actually turned his frosting bright pink instead of the vibrant red he’d expected, and he held up the spoon with a laugh. “Pretty in pink, Stevie?” He asked, waving the spoon at him.

“Don’t even think about it, this is my good shirt,” Steve warned him, pointing his piping back at him menacingly. “Now focus, Padawan. Much to learn you still have.”

“Mmm, Star Wars references,” Bucky sighed dreamily. But he did as he was told anyway, and began to spoon his own frosting into the bag. He’d at least expected to get most of the frosting into the bag like Steve, with very little mess. After all the bag was pretty large.

What really happened, however, was Bucky smearing half of his mixture all over the side of the frosting can, getting the pink mess all over his hands and very little into the bag at all. He glanced up at Steve and noticed with mild annoyance, the pristine piping bag in his hands as he began to distribute a perfect swirl onto the cake. In seconds flat, Steve had a perfectly formed little mountain of frosting on a cake that looked ready to be placed on a showroom floor. The damn thing looked like it had been Photoshopped, for Pete’s sake! Not one to be outdone, Bucky did his best to get the most he could into the bag and attempted to copy Steve’s action, holding the bag in his sticky hands as he tried to evenly distribute his frosting.

He failed spectacularly.

What had looked to be so simple, turned out to be one of the hardest things he’d tried in his life. If he didn’t squeeze hard enough, nothing came out of the bag. If he squeezed too hard, it came out in a messy squirt, splattering across the cake and onto the counter. And worst of all, in the time it took him to figure out how to even hold the damn thing, Steve already had a second cupcake decorated and was working on a third one right before his eyes.

It took him approximately one minute to finally get frustrated with his attempt. With a roll of his eyes, he gave up, simply squeezing a huge dollop onto the cake until it began to drip off the side and to the counter. He held the messy piping bag in his fingers like a dead thing, watching frosting drip onto the counter in front of him in a sort of morbid fascination, before finally tossing the thing next to his ruined cupcake with a snort of laughter.

Well. He didn’t have the touch, it seemed. While Steve’s cupcakes turned out to be the picture perfect epitome of a Martha Stewart creation, his ended up looking a little more like Jackson Pollock threw up all over his cake. But at least it smelled good?

“Voila!” Bucky said, holding the dripping cupcake up with a big grin on his face. “I give you the Pinkie Pie Vomit cake. You should make this yer center piece.”

Steve looked up at that moment, and he burst into a laugh, accidentally squeezing out too much frosting in his laughter. “Oh Christ, it looks terrible!”

“I know, ain’t it fuckin’ glorious?!” Bucky asked. He looked down at his cupcake with a triumphant grin on his face. “It’s beautiful. I didn’t think I could make somethin’ so amazin’ in my life. Seriously, this belongs on a magazine or somethin’.” As he spoke, he listened to Steve laughing outright, and he looked up at him, taking the moment to really appreciate Steve’s amusement. Jesus, Bucky loved the way he looked when he laughed, with his nose scrunched up and his grin bright and infectious. So he might have demolished the cake. Big deal. At least Steve was laughing and having a good time.

Feeling a hell of a lot better, Bucky put his cupcake down and plucked up a towel to clean his hands off. With his fingers no longer sticky from sugar, he slipped up to Steve’s side, and wrapped his arms around his waist to pull him into a kiss. “Thank you for the date, Stevie… seriously, I think I really needed it.”

“How come?” Steve asked, sounding a little worried. He took the moment to clean his own hands off before pulling Bucky into his arms. As he did, he reached up and pushed a strand of Bucky’s hair from his forehead before pressing a kiss to his brow. “Everything okay?”

“Nah, everythin’s fine. Just a lotta work lately. I mean I jus’ needed to have a real fun night to break the cycle, ya know?”

“What, so the past two weeks haven't been fun around me?” Steve asked, pouting openly at the suggestion. “I’m hurt, Buck. I knew I was inherently an old man and don’t get out much, but my feelings. Ouch.”

Oh the little shit. Bucky was definitely going to have to punish him for the suggestion now. “Look here, punk,” he growled in a playful tone. Pushing him back against the far counter, Bucky blocked him in with his arms as he leaned in to nip his lower lip. “Don’ you go puttin’ words in my mouth. Y’should be doin’ something a lot more entertaining with that, instead.”

Steve shivered at the commanding tone, looking at Bucky with blatant interest beginning to burn in his eyes. “What exactly would you like me to put in your mouth?” he asked, his voice trembling just slightly with barely concealed arousal.

“Dunno,” Bucky shrugged, slowly working the top two buttons of Steve’s shirt open with a grin. “But I think we can figure it out.”

“I think we can too,” Steve breathed. As he did, he reached up and pushed Bucky’s hands away from his shirt and began to undo the buttons himself. As he did, he never looked away from Bucky for a second. “But, I think I can sweeten the deal just a little bit. There’s one more gift I got for you tonight, and I think you’re gonna really love it…”

Confused, Bucky watched him for a moment, his eyes locked on Steve’s fingers as he worked his shirt open. When he was down to his undershirt, Bucky stepped back to allow Steve to disrobe from the white garment, wondering exactly what he was getting at. However, what he didn’t expect was to find Steve removing his shirt to reveal a tightly fitted, lacey and _bright red_ bra stretched across his broad chest. The garment was thin, almost thin enough to see through since there was no padding needed to cup his pecs, and it looked as if the lace was just barely stretched from the girth of his chest. Not too much; clearly, Steve had done his research on getting the right size, but the bra was _definitely_ fitted well to his chest, cutting just a bit into his skin as it accented the breadth of his chest in a shocking display of crimson against pale flesh. Bucky practically choked on his tongue as he felt his face flushing dark pink and he looked up at Steve, spluttering slightly as he tried to voice his absolute delight at the sight of Steve’s new lingerie. “St-Stevie... what the- how did-!”

Steve laughed, looking a little shy as he glanced down at his own chest with a small shrug. “So the last time I was over at your place, I _might_ have accidentally found your magazines in the bathroom. It kinda tipped me off that you’d like your very own underwear model to enjoy, instead of having to hide out in the bathroom every now and again” he replied, offering Bucky an innocent look. “And the best part? It’s a set.”

“It’s- it’s a set,” Bucky repeated dumbly, reaching out to let his fingers ghost over the lacy cup over his left pec. Every drop of blood in Bucky’s body fled his brain and had taken residence in his cock; really, he couldn’t blame himself for being caught up at that moment. Most partners might have gotten a little incensed at the revelation that their date enjoyed a good beat-off in the bathroom to skanky magazines; some might have been a little perturbed that Bucky had a secret fetish of staring at a ripped man in panties on the regular. But not Steve. Steve had gone above and beyond the call of a lover for him, buying him lingerie to enjoy looking at and touching whenever he wanted. Who was he to be totally articulate at that moment? “Holy shit, show me.”

Beaming brightly, Steve reached down, clearly delighted that Bucky had absolutely loved his last surprise. Giving a satisfied little huff, he undid the belt and button of his jeans and pushed them down his hips until they pooled at his knees; with his lower half fully exposed now, Steve leaned back against the counter, showing off the matching panties and thigh highs that went with the bra he’d graciously presented to Bucky. Reaching down to adjust the garter belt around his hips, Steve looked up at Bucky through the veil of his lashes and his gaze softened. “So, what do you think?” he asked, twisting his hips slightly to show off the curve of his ass in scarlet. “Please tell me you like it, you have no idea how hard it was to squeeze myself into this stupid bra. I dunno how girls do it every day.”

Bucky didn’t speak for a moment. All he could manage was a gurgle in his throat as he openly stared at his partner’s figure in lingerie. He was pretty sure he was drooling at that moment, and he closed his eyes, leaning against the counter for support. “Oh fuck me, that’s hot. That’s seriously fuckin’ hot. Yer gorgeous, baby.” Opening his eyes, Bucky looked up at Steve, lust clearly burning in his eyes at that moment. “Fuckin’ hell, where did you find those?!”

Steve only shook his head, turning slightly. He pressed his hand to the counter before twisting to give Bucky a daring look, his free hand resting on his asscheek for a moment. “Like I said, the internet is a beautiful place.”

“You ain’t fuckin’ kidding. Lord help me, I’ve seen the face of God,” Bucky breathed, watching Steve’s hand as it glided over the globe of his ass. But as he did, he saw the shimmer of something acrylic beneath what little cloth was covering his cleft, and he realized with sudden clarity, that Steve’s “surprise” didn’t end with a fashion show. The cheeky little fucker had actually purchased a butt plug to go with the outfit, and he’d worn it the whole time they were on their date. Right then and there, Bucky knew his motive; Steve hadn’t anticipated on simply _showing_ Bucky his new wardrobe. He wanted him to fuck him in it.

“Fuckin’ Christ, I turned you into a fuckin’ nympho,” Bucky whined, dropping down to his knee. Now face-level with his ass, he looked up at Steve and pleaded with his eyes, his hands hovering just above his ass. “Don’ tease me… lemme play baby, please…”

Steve exhaled closing his eyes as he pressed his ass back against his hands readily. “You can do whatever you want. Just don’t stop calling me that.”

“What? Baby? You like it when I call you baby?” Bucky asked; as he did, he gently massaged his fingers over Steve’s ass, spreading his cheeks carefully before letting go to watch his flesh slap ever so gently from the tension. _God_ , Steve had an amazing ass. “You want me to call you baby all the time, don’tcha?”

“Mmh, yea…” Steve whispered, his head dropping forward slightly. He pushed himself further into Bucky’s hands, pressing his own to the counter for support. “I really do. You have no idea how much I love hearing you call me that… especially when you’re deep inside me.”

Shit, Bucky was hard. He could feel his pulse throbbing between his legs as he openly stared at Steve’s ass, watching the way his walls hugged the plug perfectly, tight but ready to be replaced by his cock at any second. Shit, why hadn’t he thought to bring a condom with him?! “Oh, I think I can’ do that for ya,” he moaned. Leaning in, Bucky spread his asscheeks again before lapping the flat of his tongue over his hole, over the base of the plug, and prodding at his stretched opening with the tip before he nipped the smooth skin of his cheek sharply. “You don’t gotta tell me twice, baby boy…”

“Nngh!” Steve gasped, jolting slightly in his grip. He twisted around to look down at Bucky, showing off the tent in the front of his panties. “Yeah, that’s good… Oh Jesus, don’t stop calling me that.”

Bucky didn’t waste a second. The minute Steve had slightly turned to him, he had his hands on his hips, twisting him around fully. He leaned in, licking over the length of his engorged dick and absolutely relishing the feel of satin under his tongue as he mouthed at his cock, running his lips over his length before wrapping them around the head right where the tip of Steve’s length poked out from its confines. “Nngh I wanna fuck you so bad right now,” he said, breathing warm air through the fabric beneath his tongue. “Baby, get dressed so we can go back to your place. I wanna peel these clothes off of you and fuck you so pretty…”

“Why do we have to go home?” Steve asked, breathless as he glanced down at him. A wicked gleam shone in his eyes then and he bit his lower lip, enticing Bucky further with such a simple glance. “Reach into my front pocket.”

“Are you serious,” Bucky asked, stunned beyond belief. That cheeky little shit. Breaking their pace for a moment, he reached down and worked his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans to withdraw a condom and a packet of lube from inside. For a brief moment, Bucky stared at them like they were the most precious jewels and he glanced up at Steve, his lips cracking into a wide, wicked smile. “Holy shit, you actually brought some… you fuckin’ amazing human being.”

“I brought them with me just in case we didn’t make it home at all,” Steve murmured. Rolling his hips forward, he brushed the length of his cock along Bucky’s lips, reaching down to thread his fingers into his hair and give the dark strands an insistent tug. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting… Been thinking about this all day.” As he spoke, Steve’s hips continued to undulate against the slack opening of his lover’s hips, drawing out a little shudder from himself as he oh so slowly ground up against his face. “I’m not gonna make it home. There’s an office. I don’t care. Just please, please fuck me, Bucky. Please.”

That was all it took for Bucky to make his decision. While he probably would have hated himself for waiting, Bucky had been more than willing to make the ten minute walk back to Steve’s apartment if it meant getting to bend him over as soon as possible. But with Steve’s pleading and doe-eyed glances, and the sight of his cock dampening the front of his panties, there was absolutely no way Bucky was going to survive the trek. Damn right there was an office right there at their disposal, he was going to use it to his full advantage.

Growling in the back of his throat, Bucky instantly got to his feet and grabbed Steve’s wrist. He waited for the blond to kick off his jeans and shoes where he stood, but only just barely; the minute Steve’s legs were free from his jeans, Bucky dragged him from the counter towards the back of the shop, totally hell-bent on putting this lube to good use as soon as possible. As he manhandled Steve towards their destination, he heard a light chuckle coming from behind him and he cast a vicious grin over to Steve; without a word, he ran his thumb up the inside of his lover’s wrist for a moment, feeling for his pulse. When he found it, fluttering wildly beneath the thin skin there, Bucky knew he wasn’t the only one excited about the prospect of possibly getting caught with their pants literally down.

Elbowing the light on in the office, Bucky yanked Steve into the room with him, grinning wildly up at him as he hip-checked the door to close it with a loud bang. Pushing him up against it with a hungry intent, his hands flew to Steve’s waist, feeling the cool press of his skin beneath his palms, his own fresh canvas of bone and blood to be marked, touched and dirtied in the most pleasurable of ways. He leaned in, latching onto the side of his throat desperately just to hear the needy little whimper that left Steve at his brutal assault. Steve made such pretty sounds when he nibbled his collarbone like this. Sounds like that could make a man drunk and high at the same time, floating on a cloud of driven bliss. Bucky never waxed poetic about anyone in his life. Now? Now he might write fucking poems to rival the Iliad about how much he adored God’s gift to his dirty little world.

“Yer a horrible influence on me, and I blame you for us gettin’ caught by anyone around here,” Bucky murmured, laving his tongue over Steve’s pulse point where he stood.

“Then we better keep quiet then, shouldn’t we?” Steve asked, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He groaned at the feeling of Bucky’s lips on his throat and he rocked into him, spreading his legs just enough to allow Bucky to seat himself between them.

Bucky didn’t answer him. Instead, he made use of this moment, reaching down to let his hands roam over Steve’s backside. He continued to work a bruise into Steve’s pale skin, nipping and tugging on the blemish with his teeth as one hand darted down to his thigh; he gripped his leg tightly and lifted it to wrap around his waist, giving himself the perfect angle to rut up against him shamelessly as he free hand continued to glide and prod at his ass with searching need. He couldn’t contain himself as he fucked his hips forward again and again, letting Steve feel the rough brush of his jeans against his silky-clad groin. Christ, even that little gesture made flower petals of euphoria sprout across his skin, lighting every nerve ending on fire until he was caught in a whirlwind of ‘Steve’ and drowning in his pleasant musk.

Pushing his fingers underneath the hem of his panties, Bucky let his fingers grip tightly, digging into the round of his asscheek as he pulled him closer, until the two of them were grinding up against each other with growing desperation. Panting heavily, Bucky continued to mouth at his throat, digging his teeth in further as he worked yet another bruise into his skin with the laser focus of a man on a mission. He always marveled at how quickly Steve could recover from such love bites, and he coveted the ability to mark him up, only to find a clean slate of skin at his disposal in just a couple days. It was like his very own canvas to work with, drawing blood up to the surface of his flesh in abstract patterns, only to be able to do it all over again in just a couple days. He, himself, wasn’t so lucky but he proudly wore the marks Steve left behind, graciously showing them off to anyone that dared look at him, and happily willing to let his partner add to his little collection again and again.

Heat flushed his skin as he let his hand roam further down; with a playful growl, he let his fingers dance over the base of the plug in his lover’s ass, tapping it ever so slightly before he really pushed. He relished the feeling of Steve shuddering full-body in his grip as he further drove it into his channel before letting go to feel it begin to work its way back out again. “Fuck me, yer the best fuckin’t thing that’s ever happened to me,” Bucky whimpered.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Steve responded with a cheeky resolve, knowing he had Bucky hook, line and sinker. Without waiting for an answer, Steve reached down and began to tug his tank top up his back, exposing the planes of his skin to the air around them before he finally yanked, pulling his tank top up and off before tossing it into the room. When Bucky’s chest was bare to him, he let his fingers run up and down his chest, finding a nipple quickly and sharply tweaking it between his fingers.

Bucky gasped, letting his forehead drop to Steve’s shoulder as he felt him playing so sweetly with his chest; it drove him crazy as he felt his lover roll the bud of flesh between his fingers before tugging just enough. Crazy was the best word that could describe Bucky at that point and he found himself heaving for breath, slapping Steve’s hands away long enough so that he could reach down and undo the button of his pants. Without preamble, he shoved them down his legs, underwear and all, and he looked up to see Steve reaching behind himself to undo his bra. “No way,” Bucky said, shaking his head sharply. He grabbed Steve’s wrists, dragging them away from his body and holding them above his head. “You leave that on. You said this was my gift, so I’m gonna use it to its full potential.”

“So demanding. I thought that was my job,” Steve teased, though he did let his arms relax as he allowed Bucky to pin his arms to the wall without a fight. Instead of resisting his command, Steve leaned down and ran his lips over the ink etched into Bucky’s shoulder, lovingly mapping it out for himself before he tightened his leg around his ass, relentless as he forced the two of them to rut and roll against each other. Skin met skin as their cocks brushed through the microthin layer of cloth between them, causing a stereo gasp to escape the two of them at the sensation. “Fine, you want me to keep it on. How do you want me? Up against the wall or bent over the desk? Just pick quickly before I go crazy.”

Casting a look over to the desk, Bucky bit his lip for a moment before he flashed Steve a dangerous look. “Desk. Definitely desk. I wanna get a good look at yer ass.” Knowing full well what he’d gotten himself into, Bucky stepped back, unashamedly naked as he kicked off his pants and threw them to the corner of the room; purring under his breath, he hooked his index finger in the hem of those barely-there bottoms and tugging Steve towards him. “You wanna be a good boy for me? Wanna show me how pretty you can look in yer panties, baby?”

Just as suddenly as his bravado took hold of him, Steve’s resolve began to crumble, leaving a welling look of desire to burn in his eyes. Steve whimpered, nodding at Bucky readily. Without a word, he crossed the room and planted his hands into the desk, looking over his back towards Bucky as he presented his ass to him, shamelessly bent over to allow Bucky full view of the plug, his asscheeks and his needy gaze. “Well you better get on it, Buck. I can’t wait anymore.”

Bucky was not far behind him, crossing the room in two strides. Sliding up behind Steve, he let his hands roam over the planes of his back, feeling the muscles beneath his skin coiling and bunching at the faint caress. He groaned in the back of his throat, his lip caught between his teeth as he smoothed his palms over his back and allowed them to skirt down to cup his ass. Bucky continued to taunt Steve, massaging his backside carefully before he lifted his hand and brought it down across his skin with a sharp crack; the little yelp that left Steve made his blood only boil harder, heating him up from the inside as he moaned, spanking him once more before dropping down to his knees. “Such a good little baby for me” he breathed, pressing his lips to the bright pink mark he left in his skin.

Letting his lips linger for a moment, Bucky peeled the crotch of his panties away and wrapped his fingers around the base of the plug. With a careful hand, he worked the plug out of Steve’s ass, watching with delight as his hole stretched and gave way until the plug was removed entirely, leaving him gaping and twitching for more stimulation. “Yer gonna taste so fuckin’ good, baby. Would you like that? Do you want me to bury my tongue in your ass, lick you real pretty, baby boy?”

Steve’s willpower dissolved right then and there; babbling slightly, he nodded and pushed his hips back against Bucky’s hands for more pressure, wordlessly begging him to get on with his promise already. He could barely articulate his needs at that moment, too strung out from the unexpected spanking as he pressed his cheek to the desk, gazing back at Bucky with absolute, raw passion burning in his eyes.

Bucky felt his stomach flutter at the sight of Steve, so willing and ready to take whatever he dished out without complaint. How could he resist giving him what he wanted, when those soft baby blues met his gaze so trusting and hopeful? Offering him a gentle nod, Bucky tugged the panties to the side, wholly bearing his entrance to him and taking the moment to appreciate the little, pink furl left to the cool air around them; with a hungry growl, he leaned in at long last, pressing the tip of his tongue against his ass and feeling Steve’s stretched muscles giving away almost instantly at the faint pressure. Without waiting, Bucky delved deeper, working his tongue into his body until he could feel the heat of Steve’s skin on his cheeks and the dense, overpowering pressure of his muscles begging for more.

Christ, Steve tasted amazing; he moaned to himself, flicking his tongue inside his ass a few times before pulling back to lick and suckle at his abused entrance. He made it his personal mission to get his lover good and wet with spit as he hooked his tongue inside the ring of muscle and gave a gentle pull. Of all the things in the world Bucky loved, eating Steve out had to be at the top of his list.

Mindlessly, Steve cried out, his fingers curling into fists on the desk as he felt Bucky slowly splitting him open with just his tongue. His hips jerked backwards against his mouth, seeking out more pressure inside himself before he grunted as a particular deep lick inside him caught the ridges of his channel just right. Gone were his smart remarks and playful banter. Now, all that was left was the desperate husk of a man seeking out just a little more, just an inch more as he slowly unraveled under the skilled tongue opening him up. “Oh fuck!” he whimpered, shaking his head slightly. “B-Buck, please… Oh God, more...!”

“You want more?” Bucky asked, pulling back to wipe a dribble of spit from his chin. He laughed lightly, watching Steve’s hips roll and rock against open air as he seemingly prayed for more of that pressure inside him. “Christ, ya don’ have t’tell me twice, baby boy. Gonna get you all nice and wet for me… you taste so fuckin’ good.” Mercifully, Bucky leaned back in at that moment, licking around the curl of muscle; he grazed his teeth over the sensitive ring before shoving his tongue back in in one thrust. Steve’s cries grew heady and thing as he thrust his tongue in and out, picking up a cadence of fucking him open. As he did, he wiggled his index finger into his channel for a moment, twisting and curling the digit inside him as he slowly spread his hole, slick and hot, pressure and strokes until the tip of his finger caught the knob inside Steve’s ass.

“Auuh!” Steve squealed, thumping his forehead against the desk. Spurred on by the cry, Bucky didn’t relent as he continued to stroke that bundle inside him. Wetness coated their skin as Bucky stroked him, spreading his saliva everywhere he could until he was sure his face was a mess. One good stroke of his finger caught the ridge inside Steve’s channel and he choked audibly, cock bobbing free from his underwear and dripping precum to the floor below. “Oh fuck, I’m gonna cum… _shit,_ I’m gonna cum, don’t tease me!”

“So?” Bucky asked, looking up at him long enough to flash him a wicked smile. He could feel the spit on his cheeks cooling almost instantly in the room and he laughed, plucking his finger free from his ass to trace through the smears of wetness on Steve’s ass. “Who cares? Cum if ya really want to but I ain’t gonna stop at just one. I’m gonna get you screamin’ all night if I can. You wanna cum, you do so.”

“B-Buck, what about the neighbors? What about you?” Steve asked, his voice breaking dangerously. His hips never stopped squirming back against his hands, and his skin flushed bright red as he really took his time to meet Bucky’s gaze finally. Poor thing was so flustered he could barely keep eye contact with Bucky. How cute.

“You don’ worry about me or those neighbors, doll.” Bucky gripped Steve’s hips and pulled him just a bit away from the desk; with the extra room, he reached up between Steve’s legs and plucked at the front of his lingerie. Freeing his cock the rest of the way from his panties, he wrapped his fingers around the base and began to stroke his lover, leaning in to breathe a puff of warm air against his wet muscle carefully. “I’m gonna be just fine. C’mon baby, cum for me. Be good now.” Before the words had even left his mouth, Bucky was leaning in again, wrapping his lips around the overly sensitive ring of muscle; he gave one good suck, tongue tip tracing the lip of his entrance in a gentle caress and his fist pumped mercilessly, stroking the velvet skin of his prick, fast and firm.

That was all it took. With a choked off sob, Steve climaxed, his back bowing slightly as he came; his release splattered across the front lip of the desk, sloppy white pearls against the grain of the wood as his dick spasmed in Bucky’s hand and his hole fluttered against the pressure of Bucky’s tongue. “ _Ahh!_ Ahh, fuck!” he cried out, louder than ever as his legs trembled with the exertion of holding himself up through the waves of bliss.

Bucky pulled back, watching in fascination as his ass twitched and clenched with the force of his first orgasm for the night. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. But Bucky wasn’t done there; no he had meant it when he said he wasn’t going to stop at just one orgasm that night. Chuckling breathily, he licked over his prize once again, soothing his spasms with the warmth of his breath before pulling back. Without a word, he drew his messy hand back and spanked Steve again, this time a little harder than before and leaving a smear of cum across his skin. He grinned at the whimper that left his lover, soothing away the sting as he cleaned up the smear of white from Steve’s skin with his tongue. “Good boy. Such a pretty little thing, cumming like that. Yer gorgeous, baby doll.”

Steve heaved for breath, whining loudly at the sting of skin; twisting around, he looked down at Bucky, and his cheeks flushed red as he watched him carefully with dilated, glossy orbs. “B-buck...”

“Shh. No talking, baby.” Bucky got to his feet and wrapped his arm around Steve’s waist. Hoisting him up, he turned his exhausted partner around and pushed him back against the desk. He watched as Steve sat heavily down onto the wood, but he didn’t stop there; without a word, he gripped his thighs and spread them, pushing Steve to lie back against the desk and throwing his ankles up over his shoulders to rest for the time being. For a brief moment, Bucky didn’t move; he simply stood there, watching Steve come down from the intense high he was surely feeling and giving him a moment to catch his breath. To soothe him further, Bucky reached down and let his fingers dance over the ripples of Steve’s stomach, fingering the muscles there and massaging a touch of relaxation back into his skin. _‘He’s so beautiful… he’s so fuckin’ perfect and he’s all mine…’_

It didn’t take Steve long to recover from his orgasm, and soon after he’d come to rest on his back, he peeled his eyes open to gaze up at Bucky. He offered him the smallest, most shy smile he could muster and tightened his legs around his neck. He didn’t need to say a word for Bucky to know what he was asking for; already, he wanted more. Already he wanted Bucky to finally take the lead and fill him to the brim, stretched and malleable under his touch as he fucked him, claimed him, and possessed him. Really, Bucky couldn’t believe that this angel wanted _him_ above anyone else in this world. But here they were, Steve’s legs up and ready for him, his eyes begging, his skin flushed and pink, his lips licked raw and red as he soundlessly pleaded for Bucky to just get the fuck on with it already.

Dammit, he wasn’t going to be able to wait anymore. Without a word, Bucky grabbed the condom from the desk and tore the foil open with a quick twist of his wrist and pulled the rubber out of its packaging his gave it a cursory once over. “Ribbed, huh? You dirty little baby,” he chuckled. With a quick gesture, Bucky rolled the rubber onto his straining cock, stroking himself a few times before his hands were on the packet of lube. Only one packet. And he had so many plans to absolutely ruin Steve that evening. He’d have to plan wisely for this.

“I-I thought… ribbed would be good.” Steve panted, mind obviously still too foggy from his orgasm to really whip up a snappy comeback. He let his head thump back against the desk again, staring up at the ceiling as he breathed deeply. “Bucky, please... “

“Please? You just came, Stevie. Yer tellin’ me yer already ready for more?” Squeezing out a hefty dollop of lube, Bucky spread the fluid between his fingers before reaching between them. Prodding two fingers against his hole, Bucky felt Steve accept him readily, his fingers sliding into him up to the third knuckles without resistance. He didn’t wait for Steve to get acclimated to the intrusion and instead, picked up a quick, eager pace inside him, thrusting and scissoring his fingers into his body in a firm, quick pace.

Whatever little control he had on himself, was instantly shattered; Steve practically screamed, hooking his knees over his shoulders to bare down onto his fingers; his own dug into the lip of the desk as he cried out, voice choked off with each thrust Bucky’s fingers pressed into him. He lolled his head to his shoulder, unable to keep his eyes open a moment longer as he pleaded for Bucky to go on. “F-fuck! F-fuck... nngh!” Hs words choked off into an undecipherable mutter as Bucky’s fingers continued to stroke inside him, grazing over his prostate a few strokes before one particular thrust had his leg twitching violently on his shoulder.

Bucky bit his lip, watching Steve come completely undone under his assault. He could see the lines of his cock pushing back the thin panties, now damp with sweat and what dribbles of cum had leaked down his cock, and he found himself openly drooling at the sight of red flesh, swollen and throbbing before his very eyes. “What was that, Stevie?” Bucky panted. With his free hand, he reached up, letting his fingers dance over his nipples one by one. He pushed his fingers up underneath the hem of his bra, twirling his fingertip over the pert, erect nipple beneath the lace cover. With a sharp pull, he pinched the bud of skin hard, making Steve buck back against his fingers with a wail of over-stimulated pleasure. “Speak up, baby doll. I can’t hear ya.”

Steve exhaled, a shaky puff of air leaving him before he tore his eyes open. Looking up at Bucky under the rim of his glasses, he made a pitiful sound, tightening his knees around the back of his neck. “Put your fucking cock in me!” he demanded, struggling to grit out the words through the haze of overstimulated pleasure. Without waiting, he wrapped his fingers around his own length, stroking himself hard and fast through the panties sheathing him. His hips snapped back against Bucky’s fingers as he lost himself completely. “D-don’t make me beg, Bucky, God _dammit!!”_

Bucky was in complete awe; he’d seen Steve come apart at the seams before, wailing himself hoarse through every driving thrust he gave him. But this was a whole new level of desperation, and Bucky could only assume it came from the sheer neediness of the role Steve had so willingly stepped into. Bucky calling him baby boy and doll, wearing his lingerie so proudly, and bending for him. When Bucky had first met Steve, he’d taken him to be a little more shy and reserved than most; not prudish, and most certainly not a virgin. But this was a whole new side of Steve, and Bucky couldn’t help but feel himself tumbling headlong into absolute obsession for this blond beauty that wanted him and only him so badly it could make Steve cry.

Now, watching Steve fuck his fist and take his fingers hungrily, practically weeping with the need to be plugged up to the hilt, Bucky knew there was absolutely no way in hell he was ever going to let Steve go in his life. Despite the lust pooling in his gut and making his veins burn hot, Bucky felt his heart swelling in his chest as he mapped his gaze over Steve’s trembling figure, loving the sheen of sweat on his skin, the redness in his cheeks and the absolute _want_ for Bucky coming off of him in waves. Bucky was pretty certain Steve would have never put on a bra and panties for anyone else in his life. This was all just for Bucky, his little baby boy that he was quickly and very deeply falling for.

And that was the moment Bucky knew he was done for; he didn’t just lust for Steve. He had wholly, irreversibly, _dangerously_ fallen in love with him. He didn’t know if Steve felt the exact same way for him, but if his actions were anything to go by, Bucky knew Steve loved him too, and Bucky couldn’t wait for the moment he got to tell Steve those three, stupid, damning words that he longed to pepper into his skin with his lips. God, did he fantasize about being able to tell Steve how much he loved him; how glorious it would be, raining praises down on him, whispering into his ear every moment he got, how he worshipped every hair on his head, every speck of skin on his body; how he wanted to tell Steve at that very moment he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life making him feel so damn good, and doing everything in his power to give him the partner he deserved in this world.

But as much as he wanted to tell Steve his unyielding devotion to him, he had no idea if the proclamation would scare him off. After all, neither of them had said those magic words yet, and there was no chance in hell that he would risk losing Steve like that. So, just to be on the safe side, he wouldn’t push him away by blurting that out just yet. He’d show him instead; he was damn good at showing Steve how he felt after all.

“Okay baby, okay,” Bucky breathed. Leaning down, he removed his hand from his chest and supported himself on the desk, to loom over his lover and met his hazy glances head-on. Bucky pressed his lips to Steve’s, soothing his frantic hunger with a gentle kiss and slowly calming the frenzied figure beneath him with gentle caresses. The kiss was far less dominating than his earlier actions, and he let the moment linger between them, lips brushing in a gentle touch. Bucky smiled through the kiss, letting his tongue flicker out against Steve’s lower lip before he gently bit the skin, swelling it as he suckled the pink flesh carefully. “Okay, baby. Breathe with me. Just breathe, okay…? I ain’t goin’ nowhere, but you gotta calm down for me.”

Steve nodded, taking a few gulping breaths of air before he finally met Bucky’s gaze. “Y-yeah, Bucky?” he asked, prodding him for answers as to why he’d suddenly slowed their pace considerably. Still, he did as he was told and took the momentary reprieve to get himself under control once again, visibly trembling under the onslaught he’d just endured.

“Good boy. You listen so good.” Bucky soothed, offering him a proud smile. Without a word, he grabbed the little packet of lube and squeezed the rest into his palm; he slicked up his cock, further lubricating the rubber before removing his fingers from inside his channel and pressed a few, dainty kisses to his chest in a wordless promise that, yes, he would continue one at long last.

With a little nod, he leaned back enough to get a good look at what he was doing and took his cock in hand, guiding it to his hole. With a careful nudge, he prodded his length into his hole, slowly splitting him open as he rocked his hips, thrusting into his channel inch by inch. When he was mostly seated inside him, Bucky took a moment, inhaling slowly around the pressure enveloping his dick to place his hands on the desk by Steve’s shoulders. Giving him a moment to get used to his length inside him, Bucky looked up into his eyes, his own dancing with delight as he flashed him a shaky smile. “Just breathe, baby doll,” he huffed, pressing a kiss to his forehead gently. “Don’ want you goin’ and passing out on me now, huh?”

“Mmmhhh….!” Steve gasped in response, screwing his eyes shut at the intrusion. He tightened his knees around Bucky’s torso, fingers leaving the desk to clamp down around Bucky’s shoulder blades and pull him down towards himself. He ground his ass back against his cock, feeding his length further into him with that motion and his pulse fluttered right back to life, thrumming visibly beneath the reddened skin of his neck with each quaking breath he took. “F-fuck… still big…” he moaned, biting his lower lip raw.

“S’why I told you to go slow. You ain’t listenin’ to me, baby boy,” Bucky chided, giving him a playfully reproachful look. Lifting his torso, Bucky bridged himself over Steve’s upper half to smile down at him. “Ready for number two?”

“N-Number, two?” Steve asked, fluttering his eyes open. He met Bucky’s gaze for a brief moment before Bucky threaded his hand between them. With a cry, Steve bucked up the minute Bucky had his fingers wrapped around his length again, stroking him fast and hard as he began to thrust up into him, guided by the slick-slide of lube in his channel to brush his prostate with each push. “Mmmg! B-Buck!”

“Yeah, that’s right. Number two.” Bucky growled. His earlier delight and adoration for Steve had melted away into growing, primal lust for him, spurred into a growing ember as he watched his cheeks darkening further through the thin sheen of sweat on his skin. He loved the way the scratch of lace brushed up against his thigh, where he’d pulled the crotch away from his entrance enough to thrust inside him; if he was a guilty, greedy man (and he was, Lord help him), he knew he was going to get addicted to the thrill of drilling Steve’s tight little ass with those panties on him, every chance he got. “Maybe soon you can sit on my lap and ride me, Stevie. Would you like that? Wanna ride my cock, bouncing up and down while I suck your tit through your pretty little bra? You like it when I lick your nipple, feeling the lace brushing up against it?”

“ _GOD,_ Buck!” Steve shouted, arching his chest up at the mere mention of it. “Oh God, yes! D-don’t stop talking like that... Please, Bucky, _please!”_

“That’s all you gotta say?” Bucky laughed, though the effort was strained at best. Now, even he was having a hard time breathing as he watched Steve revving up to spill over the top again, totally lost as he clawed at his back. He felt the sting of his nails raking over his back, cutting into his skin, and he couldn’t help but _love_ the burn against his skin. “Please? Use yer words, baby. Whatd’ya want me to do?”

Steve twitched, his dick spasming again. The telltale sign of precum dribbled from the hot tip, pooling on his stomach and further staining his red underwear as he arched back into Bucky’s lap from where he lay. “P-please suck… please suck my tit, Bucky… Oh _fuck_ , I wanna feel your tongue on me…”

Jesus Christ… it was the most glorious thing he’d heard in his life. Lingerie, clandestine fucks in the back of a public eatery, dirty talking. Bucky was in seventh heaven, and he was helpless but to let his hips continue to piston into his ass as he was spurred on by the absolutely wretched display the two of them made. “There’s a good boy,” Bucky moaned, smiling down at him. Without hesitation, Bucky leaned in, breathing a puff of air against the erect bud of flesh on Steve’s left pec. He followed quickly with a short, tender kiss against the paper-thin cup of his bra, before really leaning in and wrapping his lips around his nipple. Instantly, he could feel Steve tensing up beneath him but this only drove him to act further, tickling the tip of his tongue over it before he gave one good suck, pulling his skin into his mouth, bra and all, and worrying it between his teeth with delight.

Apparently, that’s all it took. Steve was almost wordless as he twitched, his movements mindless as he ground back onto Bucky’s cock and up against his stomach in frantic rut. This time, his orgasm was just a little weaker, slaked a bit by the close proximity to his first release as he came in short spurts against Bucky’s stomach. His asshole fluttered wildly around his prick at the release, and his fingernails dug even further into his back, practically drawing blood as he wailed, baring his throat to Bucky in a submissive, needy display.

Fuck, Bucky was not a strong man. Strong willed, and strong in body? Yes. Strong enough to resist the allure of his lover’s neediness and absolute perfection? Not at all. He was as weak as tissue paper when it came to making Steve Rogers happy, and seeing him looking blissed out and absolutely perfect was his Achilles heel. Bucky knew he’d do absolutely anything to make Steve happy, make him feel like a king in this world. He deserved nothing less, and Bucky was going to live his life, devoted to making this insane human being so Goddamn happy and make him feel so Goddamn good, he’d die trying to achieve that goal. He’d made that personal vow to himself two weeks ago, and their evening only further cemented that fact in his mind for good.

The only problem to this devotion was the fact that making Steve happy also made Bucky happy, and seeing Steve looking totally destroyed by two orgasms in a row only made his own desires and lust that much harder to cope with. He was never strong when it came to resisting his own desires as he watched Steve come undone underneath him. This was no exception, and he could feel his own release pooling in the pit of his stomach, shooting lightning down his spine and making his legs trembling as his hips involuntarily picked up pace to fuck into him wildly on the desk. This might have been one of his quickest orgasms to date, but he wasn’t ashamed by that in the slightest. He was only disappointed he wasn’t going to be able to bring Steve to record number orgasms that night.

“F-fuck… fuck baby,” Bucky moaned, pressing kisses to his chest as his hips pistoned into him again and again. Yeah, he wasn’t going to last much longer, at all. “Oh shit, you drive me fuckin’ insane!”

“T-that makes… two of us!” Steve gasped, unable to speak above a whisper at that point. He could barely open his eyes as he looked up at Bucky, his lip perpetually caught between his teeth as he clawed his fingernails down his back. “Nngh Bucky… let go. Let go, babe… Wanna feel you... please.”

“Shit!” Bucky hissed. He pressed his palms into the desk and lifted his torso, giving himself better leverage as he drew himself closer to climax finally. With this angle, he looked down between them to see his cock burying into Steve again and again, and his lover’s legs spread wide over his shoulders. Steve looked absolutely beautiful like this, spread and bent at the waist, taking him perfectly, and flushed a beautiful pink hue. His cock throbbed inside him, feeling his tense walls hugging him like a glove. Shit he was close. So close. Maybe he could hold on just a little bit longer...

It would have worked if he hadn’t looked up. Maybe for a few minutes longer, _maybe_ ekk out just one more climax from his lover. But that wouldn’t be the case at all. Bucky made his mistake when he looked up; when he did, he was met with a gorgeous sight before him, the kind of view that pushed him far over the edge without any inhibitions. The minute Bucky had leveraged himself at a better angle, Steve had lost grip on his back. But that only opened up the opportunity for Steve’s hands to find other useful things to do. Useful things like massaging his own chest through the now sweaty cups of his bra, tweaking his own nipples and offering Bucky a terribly beautiful gaze, goading him onto his climax with only a look as he met his eyes headlong, challenging him to break and fill him up right there.

Like a dam, the walls holding Bucky’s will back, tumbled like a house of cards. He could barely speak as that lightening zipping up his back, shot out to his limbs and straight to his dick; uttering one, short bark of a moan, Bucky’s hips snapped forward, drilling into his ass as his cock pulsed, filling the condom without hesitation. His hips gave a few, short thrusts into his ass before all the fight left him at long last; he was helpless as his release crashed over him in waves, weighing him down and yet making him feel lighter than air. Christ, he could barely see as the stars in his eyes blocked out his vision. He was so consumed by his orgasm, he felt like he could collapse right on top of Steve. But he was stronger than that (he hoped). The last thing he wanted to do was to faint onto Steve and ruin the whole mood.

“Fuck… shit…” Bucky panted, drilling his knuckles into the table for any sort of support. Even his arms felt tired as he hung his head, letting a curtain of dark hair hide his face for a moment. Every so often, Steve’s walls clamped down around his oversensitive prick, making him jolt where he leaned against the desk. After a few minutes, he managed to gulp down enough air to get his feet back underneath himself long enough to withdraw from his lover’s abused hole. But only just barely.

When he was pulled free Bucky slumped forward, chest to Steve’s stomach as he leaned into him, using his partner as a body pillow to allow himself enough time to recover. Christ, if he was this exhausted, he could only imagine how Steve felt. He almost felt bad, and he looked up at Steve to make sure he wasn’t crushing him at all, offering him a small, uncertain smile. “You… you okay, babe?” he asked, leaning in to press his lips to Steve’s stomach in feather soft kisses.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good,” Steve reassured him. At least he sounded way less winded than he had minutes ago. Bucky looked up to see Steve smiling down at him, his glasses pushed up to his crown again. Steve removed his hands from Bucky’s arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, pulling him up to meet him into a gentle kiss and he snickered. “So… maybe I should wear this more often?”

“That’s it, I knew this was a murder plot,” Bucky chuckled, nuzzling nose to nose with Steve as he smiled down in return. “Yer gonna kill me by sex. Who took out an insurance claim on me and didn’ tell me?”

“It was Clint, I cannot deny it,” Steve laughed, shaking his head. He inhaled sharply, getting his bearings about himself before he looked down at Bucky again. “And as much as I love cuddling you after sex… this desk is starting to hurt my back.”

“Oh shit, right!” Bucky exclaimed, guilty at his negligence. He still felt a little jelly-legged, but he quickly pulled off of Steve and offered him a hand up. As he helped Steve up to his feet, he looked down at the cum on their bellies and the used, full condom on his softening dick, snorting in an undignified manner at the state they were both in. “Shit, we’re a mess,” he laughed, plucking the condom from his cock and tying it off carefully. He turned and grabbed a tissue from the desk, wrapping up the rubber and then throwing it into the trashcan to be taken out to the dumpster later.

“No kidding. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten this sticky before. Animal,” Steve scoffed, a mocking look of disgust crossing his face.

“Well, s’good thing we got industrial sized sinks here then, yeah?” Bucky teased, leaning in to wrap his arms around Steve’s waist.

“ _Hell_ no! We’re going back to my place to shower. I am _not_ using the sinks here. That is boring on unsanitary at this point,” Steve laughed, looking down at himself and the practically ruined lingerie. “Damn, I hope this is salvageable. This wasn’t exactly cheap...”

“It should be. Just take it to the dry cleaners,” Bucky said, releasing his waist and stooping to grab his jeans and underwear from the floor. “Yer clothes are still out by the front counter. I’ll go get em for ya.”

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve said, offering him a loving smile. However, when Bucky turned to leave the office, Steve suddenly gasped out loud, sounding horrified. “Holy shit!”

“What?! What is it?” Bucky asked, whirling on his heel. When he looked at Steve, though, all he was met with was the horrified expression, layered openly with remorse. “Steve? What are you looking at?”

At first, Steve didnt’ answer him. Instead, he met Bucky’s gaze head-on, totally ashamed, before he spoke. “You don’t feel that? You’r back! Go look at your back!”

Confused, and a little bothered by that, Bucky could only stare right back at Steve for a moment before instantly turning on his heel and making a beeline for the bathroom. He didn’t hesitate to turn the light on, marching right up to the mirror and twisting around to get a good look at his spine. The minute he did, however, Bucky found himself totally stunned by what he saw.

Holy Christ, Steve had done a number on his back. A crosshatch display of dark red marks littered his back from his shoulder blades down to the small of his back, leaving behind large welts on his skin; a few were even deep red, looking like they were getting ready to bleed. Amongst the scratches, Bucky could see a smattering of crescent shaped cuts in his skin, nail-shaped and peppered across the scratches in his back; he looked more like he’d gotten into a bad scrap or earned himself a good case of road-rash, instead of enjoying the best sex he’d had in a long time. No wonder Steve looked mortified; he’d done that to him without even trying!

“Holy crap, that’s gonna sting in the shower,” Bucky laughed, turning this way and that to really look at himself in the mirror. Aside from the damage on his back, he had a fresh array of bruises on his neck, deep red on olive skin and stretching the length of his collarbone and shoulder. And don’t even get him started on the state of his hair. He should have been sore as hell that Steve had littered his skin so thoroughly with the war-wounds of their love-making. Instead, Bucky thought this was the most beautiful he’d looked in a long time. If only he had his phone with him...

Laughing to himself, Bucky returned to the office, only to find Steve leaned back against the desk, half-dressed in the clothing he’d fetched himself and fretting openly. When he looked up and saw Bucky, Steve offered him a hugely apologetic look and immediately stood up to cross over to him and wrap him up in his arms. “Jesus Christ, I didn’t meant to hurt you. Are you okay? Are you hurting? Shit, I didn’t think my nails were that long, but-”

“Hey, can it,” Bucky snickered, wrapping himself into Steve’s embrace. “Don’ even be sorry. This ain’t nothing I can’t handle. Yer just gonna have to give me some serious aftercare in the shower later, m’kay?” Bucky’s smile widened and he offered Steve a wink. “You can handle that, can't you?”

“You’re damn right I’m gonna take care of that. Some of those look like they need bactine,” Steve said sadly. He managed to step back a whole two inches from Bucky’s embrace before his guilt got the better of him and he crossed over, pulling Bucky back into his arms. He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, holding him close to his chest as the two snuggled for a brief moment.

Despite his earlier bravado and charm, Bucky couldn’t help but settle right into Steve’s arms, pressing his cheek to his shoulder. He didn’t flinch, even when Steve’s arms pressed against the still tender scratches on his back and he chuckled, letting his fingers dance over the sweaty strands of his bra. Yeah, even scratched to high hell, Bucky had to admit this was the happiest he’d been in years. Loving Steve Rogers was clearly going to be the biggest adventure he’d ever experienced in his whole life. “C’mon. Let’s go home and get cleaned up.”

“Oh… my… _God_.”

Well. The voice was totally unexpected. So was the sudden sound of the door slamming against the wall. Bucky jumped, whirling on his heel in Steve’s arms, and the two of them went dead still at the sight of who was standing in the doorway of the office. In front of them, Tony stood completely gob smacked, staring at the two of them with eyes so wide, they practically popped out of his skull. A moment of awkward silence fell between the three of them for a moment, and Tony never tore his gaze away from them; obviously from what Bucky could tell, he was trying to fathom whether or not he was dreaming as he simply blinked in stone-faced shock. Then, as it clicked in his mind that what he was seeing was, in-fact, reality, all the color drained from his face and he looked about ready to be sick all over the floor.

“Jesus Christ… you… you two,” Tony babbled, staring at them. His eyes locked on Steve’s bra for a moment before he tore his gaze away, covering his eyes with his hands as he shook his head violently. “I’m not seeing this. I’m not _smelling_ this! Holy fucking shit, you guys had sex in here and I walked in on it!!! I’m gonna vomit. I’m gonna ralph and then die. Oh my god, I’m too young to die!”

Bucky really should have been mortified. He’d only officially met Tony twice before, and the third time actually seeing him, he’d been caught without his shirt on and scratch marks gouged into his skin from just a few minutes prior. He _should_ have been horrified at being caught like this; he was far from it. Instead, Bucky burst into hysterical laughter, leaning into Steve’s side for support as he watched Tony have a total meltdown right there in the doorway of the office. Oh, the future mockery was totally worth the look on that man’s face that was for sure.

Beside him, Steve was clearly unamused by their unexpected guest. He blinked slowly, meeting Bucky’s tearful gaze for a moment before he glanced up at his friend, offering him his own reproachful gaze in return. “Yeah, exactly why are you barging in here like this and interrupting date night? You’re supposed to be at home, wooing your girlfriend.”

Tony broke his streak of unintelligible moaning to shoot Steve a wide eyed look. “Did you _forget_ we have a silent alarm, asshole?! In the office within which you’ve just shagged your boyfriend stupid?! I did the responsible thing and came to check and make sure no one broke in here to try and open our safe when you failed to heed the call on your CELL PHONE!” Tony moaned, rubbing his hands through his hair as he turned away to allow them a chance to get their shirts on. “It stinks in here. I really didn’t need to see your claw marks on his back nor your ass in lacy lingerie! Oh my God, I’m gonna have nightmares now…”

“Stop whining, and go home.” Steve laughed, bending to grab his shirt where he had dropped it on the floor. “Go home and tackle some liquid therapy if you’re so badly scarred. Bucky and I can take care of the shop.”

“ _Oh_ no! No fucking way. You two get your asses out of here, I don't trust you not to tackle each other and start this all over again! Out!” Tony shot back, giving him a glare and pointing at the door. Ushering them both out of the office, Tony barred their way from the room again, his hands pressed into the frame of the door. “Go get biblical with Barnes in your own bed! I need to sanitize the desk and fumigate this fucking place now! _And_ clean up the mess you two assholes made out in the shop front! Christ, I fucking hate you Rogers!”

“No you don’t,” Steve laughed, finishing buttoning up his shirt. “It’s my shop, So I can do whatever the hell I want in it.”

For a moment, Tony didn’t speak, too flustered to even form a sentence. When he finally found his voice again, he threw his arms out in exasperation. “ _You can’t have sex in a bakery, do you realize how disgusting that is!?_ I swear to all that is holy, if we get shut down by the health department, this’ll be your fault. Oh my God, don’t even think I’m not tempted to put in my two weeks after this.” Tony said, poking his finger into Steve’s chest and leveling Bucky with a glare. “Get outta here, both of you. You reek of sex. It’s weirding me out.”

Bucky snickered, pulling on his tank top finally and flashing him a wicked smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Tony! Tell Pepper I said hi!”

“Go fuck yourself. Oh wait, _Steve already did that!”_ With a growl of frustration, Tony slammed the office door in their faces, effectively ending their conversation.

Bucky snorted, wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist as they both turned, making their way towards the shop door into the night. Leaning up, Bucky pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek, sighing happily as he held him close. “You think Tony’s really gonna quit the shop?” he asked, looking up at Steve with mild worry. “Maybe we should really stay and help clean up. I don’ want you losing yer only worker over me.”

“Nah, he won’t quit. He’ll just gripe about it for a week and then use it as leverage to mock me mercilessly for months on end. It's nothing I'm not used to,” Steve reassured him, running his fingers up Bucky’s back.

Bucky did squirm a little at the touch; now that the adrenaline had worn off, his back really did sting from those scratches. Still, he wore the burn with pride and pressed his lips to Steve’s throat with a happy hum. “Yeah, I’m really lookin’ forward to a bath and some TLC from you, baby.”

“You got it, Buck.” Steve said, arching his neck into those little kisses with a happy moan. “C’mon. It’s a long ten minute walk from here…”

“D’you think, Tony’s gonna find the condom in the trash?” Bucky asked, opening the door to the shop and holding it open for Steve.

“I dunno. But you know what?” Steve asked, pausing in the doorway and beaming down at Bucky. “I kinda hope he does. It’ll be payback for the tequila incident.”

Now _that_ got Bucky’s attention. Turning to look up at Steve, Bucky openly pouted, grabbing his wrist and tugging him back. “Tequila incident? What tequila incident, y’didn’t tell me about that. I wanna know!”

“I hate reliving that night with a passion. Not even Tony is allowed to talk about it. But, tell you what. I promise I’ll tell you all about it if Tony finds the condom. Then we got a deal. Okay?”

Bucky nodded, agreeing to their terms. However, it wouldn’t be long before he cashed in on that deal at all. No sooner had the two of them agreed, Steve and Bucky looked up to the sound of a piercing, anguished wail escaping the office. The sound of absolute, soul-crushing pain was definite, even though a few walls and a firmly locked door stood in their way, which only meant one thing: Tony found the condom.

Priceless.

“There, yer payback has been met!” Bucky crowed, triumphantly grinning up at Steve as the two of them made a break down the sidewalk before Tony could come find them and skin them alive. “Now tell me about the tequila incident!!”

Steve laughed, pulling Bucky’s arm as the two of them sprinted down the sidewalk together towards home. “Okay okay you win! So the evening started off pretty normally. I had just opened the shop for the first time and Tony took me out drinking to celebrate the event. I was trying out tequila for the first time and was on my third shot. Then someone broke out the truth or dare game at the bar we were at, involving a fresh bottle of patron, glitter lube, and a stripper mime. I shit you not, a _stripper mime_...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we know how happy and in love Bucky and Steve are together, I'd like to leave this fitting quote from the new Deadpool movie which outlines the upcoming chapters of the story, here for you:
> 
>  
> 
> **"Life is an endless series of trainwrecks with only brief commercial-like breaks of happiness. This had been the ultimate commercial break. Which meant it was time to return to our regularly scheduled programming."**


	10. Liar, Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky's relationship is perfect. Too perfect, in fact. So of course, that's when life gets to come in and fuck it all up. When a friend of Sharon's approaches Steve with some disturbing news, Steve realizes he's made a terrible mistake with Bucky, and that mistake could cost him his relationship and everything he's ever worked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Managed to finally get this sucker finished and posted. It's probably one of my bigger chapters of this story, so I do apologize for the length. Also I do apologize for the content as well. This chapter is self-beta'd, so any mistakes are my own!!!
> 
> Also, apologies for the shorter sex scene. It's a little bit vanilla compared to other sex scenes I've written, but I think it's suitable for the theme of the chapter. You guys might both hate/love me by the end of it, so I'll reserve my thoughts until I hear back from you guys. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! I can't wait to hear your screams of pain!!! :D

A full month had passed since their first date at Coney Island, and Bucky and Steve had made a name of themselves as “world’s most domestic couple ever”. The teasing had become incessant from their friends, though Steve and Bucky were guilty of instigating a lot of that teasing. There wasn’t day that went by that one wasn’t seen hanging off the other. Kisses and snuggles were shared openly in public, dates were treated like grand affairs, and photos were constantly passed between the gangs showing off the couple’s most cuddly images.

Even Brock had to begrudgingly admit that they made an adorable couple. Despite protesting that he and Yelena weren’t this horribly, nauseatingly domestic, he had been a good sport for saving the photos of Steve and Bucky snuggling together on the sofa while they watched a Disney movie marathon (it had been Bucky’s idea). In short, Steve had never been more in love in his whole life, and wholeheartedly believed that he’d found his perfect, end-all romance in the arms of one James B. Barnes.

So of course, that was when things began to go wrong.

It was a surprisingly cool Saturday afternoon, and Steve found himself with some time to spare; while Steve would normally have a buzzing queue of customers in his shop, especially on such a beautiful day, Steve had been forced to shut down for an entire day when two out of four of his ovens both refused to heat up that morning. After having Bucky poke around inside for a bit, it was determined that the gas outputs of the stoves were not running, forcing Steve to have to shut everything down in order to get an emergency repairman in to fix the ovens by Monday morning. Bucky had been sorely disappointed with this outcome for two reasons: one, he’d been disappointed that he couldn’t assist his lover with his dire trouble. Two, he was disappointed that the sudden day off had been on such short notice. He would have killed to have a whole weekend off with Steve, but due to short coverage at the garage, he was forced to work regardless.

Reassuring Bucky that all was well and that they could spend the evening together if he wasn’t too tired from work, Steve decided to spend his free-day running some much needed errands and tidying up his apartment for himself. While he was glad for the spare day to himself, he too was disappointed in missing the opportunity to hole up with his partner for a solid weekend of bliss.

After returning to his apartment, Steve spent the morning cleaning from top to bottom. Once that chore had been completed, Steve decided to make good of his time and get some grocery shopping done. Bucky was supposed to cook for Steve that night at his apartment, and the two had decided on trying out a new Spanish dish Bucky had been eager to try. Might as well go shopping for their necessary supplies and have that ready to go. Knowing Bucky, he might be exhausted after his shift that day, and Steve wanted to make his night as relaxing as he could for his boyfriend.

 _‘Boyfriend,’_ Steve thought to himself with a smile. It didn’t seem weird or surprising to think of Bucky as his boyfriend. The two were already so close, they were practically married. It just hadn’t come up in conversation to call each other boyfriends yet. Steve happily ruminated over the term, feeling his stomach tightening up into a happy knot at the thought. Yeah, he was certain they had reached that level of their relationship already. He just wondered when it would be time to drop that title on Bucky. He hoped it was soon.

Whistling to himself, Steve made the drive to the store and jogged inside, grabbing a shopping cart to peruse the aisles. Plucking up his needed essentials for their dinner that night, Steve made a mental note to remember to stop at the liquor department to pick up a new bottle of wine to go with their meal. He was pretty good at pairing wines with food, though he was certain Bucky wouldn’t care in the slightest. Still, despite their “date” that night not being the most romantic of them all, he wanted to make it as perfect as possible.

Despite not having Bucky there with him, Steve felt like he was having a very good day. He was more than satisfied with the supplies he’d picked up for their date that night, and the wine he wanted to buy was on sale. He was in such a good mood, Steve found his mind wandering happily back to Bucky, and a grin crossed his face. He remembered, quite suddenly, a funny conversation he had with him earlier that week. It had culminated after a rousing fuck in the bathroom of Steve’s apartment, the two of them slumped boneless in the tub and soaking in chilly bath water.

That particular night had resulted in the two of them nearly using up the last of their condoms, and Bucky making a snide remark that perhaps they wouldn’t go through so many of them if Steve bought rainbow colored rubbers. Surely, Bucky had reasoned, they would be able to temper of their hormones if they were too busy laughing at a bright neon green condom instead of the usual, clear variety they bought.

With that thought in mind, Steve decided to check out the pharmacy aisle just for the hell of it. They hadn’t had sex in a couple days anyway, and Steve was beginning to feel the itch of too many days without Bucky. Sure enough, as he examined the boxes of condoms, he found a large box of pastel and neon varieties and he plucked it up with a happy laugh. “That oughta do it,” he grinned, tossing the box into his cart with a nod.

That was when he heard a throat clearing behind him.

Steve paused, turning on his heel to address whoever was behind him; only when he did, he found himself face to face with Vanessa, one of Sharon’s closest friends, and his good mood deflated in an instant. “Oh, hey Vanessa,” Steve said, offering her a small smile and a nod. Dammit. He really didn’t want to talk to any of her friends; the last thing he wanted was to somehow drudge up the break up a month ago in conversation. “How are you doing today?”

Vanessa didn’t answer him at first. Instead, her eyes darted to the shopping cart and the box of condoms he’d just put in the basket. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she glanced up at him. “Hey Steve, fancy seeing you in the rubber department. Whatcha doin? Buying some supplies for someone?”

Steve shifted, feeling highly uncomfortable by the look she was giving him, and he cleared his throat. Looking down at the shopping basket next to him, he stared at the condoms for a moment before a thought occurred to him. ‘ _Wait a minute, I shouldn’t be uncomfortable. Sharon and I broke up. It’s not her business who I’m having sex with.’_

Feeling a little more confident under her scrutiny, Steve looked up from the basket and squared his shoulders. “Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?” he said, offering her a straight-faced response to her inquiry.

Vanessa didn’t answer him at first. Instead, she fought back a laugh, reaching into his basket to pluck up the rubbers. “Seems like you’re having a lot of fun lately. I wonder if you have any idea what it’s like on the other side, Steve. I mean, you probably do but it looks like you really don’t give a shit anyway. Rainbow rubbers, wine and dinner. And I’m pretty sure none of this is for Sharon right?” Tossing the condoms back into the basket, Vanessa turned on Steve, her eyes beginning to burn with a righteous anger. “And you have absolutely no clue what kind of heart-breaking asshole you really are, do you?”

Instantly, Steve bristled at her accusation and his eyes widened. “Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Steve!” Vanessa snapped, raising her voice a bit. “Have you any fucking clue what you put Sharon through? What she’s been dealing with for this past month? Pining over you and your relationship, while you’re out buying _rainbow condoms_ for some slag you picked up on the side! Are you that fucking stupid that you don’t even realize you’re cheating on her?!”

Steve shied back a bit, looking around the aisle they were standing in; sure enough, two people standing at the end of the aisle shopping the vitamins looked up in their direction, their eyes locked on Steve as Vanessa gave him this verbal dressing down right in the middle of the grocery store. He felt lower than dirt as they leveled him with distant, judging looks from afar before slipping out of the aisle and leaving the two of them alone. “Vanessa, what the hell are you talking about? Sharon and I broke up a month ago! I haven’t seen her since then!”

“Really? ‘Cause I find that hard to believe, Steven.” Vanessa tossed the condoms back into his basket, squaring off with her tiny figure to corral him back against the wall. “For a month, I have had to help her get through all of her shifts at the hospital because she’s been too upset to even focus. She told me about that fight you two had, and that she tried to call you back to apologize to her and you’ve been ignoring her this whole time. She’s broken hearted, Steve. She wants you back and you haven’t even been courteous enough to tell her that you found someone else. Whether or not you think you two have broken up, you should have told her you’re fucking some other chick now so she has a chance to move on and find someone better than you!”

“That’s completely fucking insane, she hasn’t tried to call me! She’s had my number blocked for weeks!” Steve protested. He looked down at Vanessa, and every nerve in his body fired off in terrified, guilty panic. Shit, shit, shit. Did Sharon actually think they were still together? He swore up and down that they had officially broken up before he started dating Bucky.

But at Vanessa’s words and the complete earnestness in her eyes…

Steve inhaled, taking a moment to step back from her as his mind ran rampant. No. No, Sharon had been giving him the cold shoulder and ignoring him long before any of this started. Their relationship had already been over long before the fight happened. He hadn’t cheated on Sharon. He hadn’t slept with Bucky before the two of them were broken up. He hadn’t gone on a date with Bucky before they were officially over.

… Okay, sure, he’d made one mistake, kissing him the night before they had called it quits. But he’d stopped himself. He didn’t go any further than that with Bucky. He hadn’t wanted to do that to him. He had done the right thing and stopped their kiss before he had the chance to fight with Sharon and try to break up with her.

Well shit, there it was. _Try_. He hadn’t uttered the words “we’re over”. Hell, even Sharon hadn’t done that.

Did that mean, officially, Steve had been having an affair this whole time?

Vanessa stared up at him, her eyes widening before she barked out a laugh. “Oh my God, you’re a Goddamn sociopath. You think this is all about you and your feelings? Why the fuck would Sharon block your number, she is madly in love with you!” Snapping her fingers, Vanessa turned away from him with a smile. “I know what this is. You’re trying to find the easy way out of this. You fucked up, so you’re grasping at straws to make it look like she’s the bad guy and not you. Jesus, I hope you’re little girlfriend knows what kind of psycho you are.”

“I’m not a sociopath, Vanessa, I wouldn’t do that to him!” Steve shot back wildly. His heart was racing in his chest. It took him a split second to realize what he said; but by the time he did, the damage was done. Vanessa, the borough gossip of Brooklyn, had just discovered that Steve was sleeping with a man, not a woman. So if she thoroughly believed that Steve was cheating on Sharon, and with a man no less, there was no telling what damage his reputation would take.

Fuck. What if Bucky found out about this? Steve’s blood ran cold at the thought, and every drop of spit in his mouth dried up with the sudden, raging panic attack that overtook him. If Bucky found out about this confrontation, it would ruin their new relationship. There was no telling how many people Bucky knew that would find out about this and report back to him on it. Now, Steve’s reputation _and_ relationship were both on the line.

He’d fucked up so badly.

“Wow,” Vanessa breathed, staring up at him in awe. “Wow. So you’re cheating on Sharon with a guy no less. That’s nice Steve. Real nice.” Shouldering her purse again, Vanessa stepped away from Steve, and offered him one final glare. “You know what, I hope Sharon gets over you real quick and moves on. Because she doesn’t deserve the kind of prick you are. She is way better off without you. And as for your little fuck-buddy, I hope for his sake, he doesn’t ever find out what kind of person you really are. Have a nice day, and enjoy the neon rubbers.”

With that, Vanessa left, leaving Steve alone with his broken thoughts. Steve’s chest felt tight with anger and hurt as he stared after her, completely blown over by her tirade. All the good feelings he’d had earlier that day were gone in a flash, leaving him feeling hollowed out and raw. What had he done to himself? What had he done to _Bucky_?

This was a huge cluster fuck. It seemed like no matter what he did, Steve had turned out to be the villain in this situation. He’d made a huge mistake, assuming that their fight had resulted in a break up. He should have talked to her after the fight and ended it once and for all. He should have waited to go out with Bucky until after it was all said and done. But no, Steve had been impatient. He’d been wounded and righteous and totally selfish for a brief moment. Selfishness that had hurt three people in the process.

And worst of all, of the three of them, Bucky –the person who deserved this pain the least- had no fucking clue.

“Fuck,” Steve cursed, throwing the condoms back onto the shelf where they lay crooked and unassuming. He felt the backs of his eyes stinging sharply as he grabbed his cart and pushed it towards the checkout, fully intent on going home and forgetting this whole day had even happened. He felt so terrible, he didn’t even want to face Bucky that night. How could he? As much as he wanted to fall into his arms and feel better after this shitty event, he didn’t feel like he deserved to have that; to have the comfort and reassurance that Bucky offered him. He didn’t feel like he deserved the way Bucky’s eyes lit up at the sight of him, or the way they fit together so perfectly, like puzzle pieces.

He didn’t deserve that happiness.

Steve was mechanical as he paid for his groceries and took them home; he was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t even properly thank the bagger or the cashier for their help, nor did he bother to greet his neighbor when he’d arrived home. Unusual behaviors for someone like Steve, who always went out of his way to be kind to others; Vanessa’s words had really shaken Steve’s confidence in himself as he began to relentlessly play over the events of the past month in his mind. He thought he’d made the right choices. Clearly, he was sorely mistaken.

“Fuck… what’s Bucky gonna think…” he murmured, praying to God that Bucky never found out about this day.

But that wasn’t right either. Bucky had a right to know about Sharon, even in the wake of all his bullshit. “Stupid, Steve…” he grumbled to himself. He leaned against the wall of the kitchen, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes. “How the fuck is that gonna sound? ‘Hey Bucky, this is my ex. She thinks I cheated on her and we may or may not have slept together less than a day after I broke up with her. Please don’t be mad at me.’” Steve dropped his hand back to his side and scoffed. He could feel the beginnings of a migraine taking over and he closed his eyes to try and ward it off. “Real nice… fucking idiot.”

Feeling sick to his stomach, Steve slumped his way from the kitchen towards his bedroom. He ignored the mewling inquiry of his kitten, choosing to go mope about his problem instead of playing with him like Scout wanted. He felt bad for ignoring the playful kitten, but he really just wasn’t in the mood to play with him at that moment. He had to think of what he was supposed to do in the wake of this shitty situation. But the longer he lay there, running over every possible scenario in his head, the more Steve realized there was no easy way to go about this. There would be screaming. There would be anger and hurt feelings. There would be lost trust.

Shit. He really _was_ fucked.

Exhausted, Steve slumped his way into the bedroom, where he collapsed on the bed in a pile of boneless limbs and grief. He didn’t move, curled up on his side as he stared at the wall and tried his best to come up with a solution to his fuck up. Was he mad at Sharon for spreading her bullshit lies about him like this and making him look like the total asshole? Yes, in a way. But none of this would have happened if the two of them hadn’t ended their relationship on a better tone. This was just as much Steve’s fault as it was hers for casting stones and making him out to be this monster everyone thought he was.

But the longer Steve lay there, thinking about his stupidity and his hatred for the whole situation, the further he got from actually coming up with a solution. He knew, logically that he was just pouting now, feeling hurt by the lies and dwelling on his own self-loathing. He knew he was never going to be able to think his way through this if he kept right on feeling sorry for himself. But he was just too damn tired to even care at that moment.

Gradually, the sun began to set on this horrible day, leaving the room cast in an orange glow. As Steve lay in bed, feeling absolutely miserable for himself, he heard a tiny mewl coming from the floor next to his bed. Turning onto his side, Steve saw Scout staring up at him with big eyes, begging to be allowed up on the bed and clawing at the side of his comforter sadly. Smiling a little, Steve reached down and plucked up the kitten, settling him on the bed next to him. Finally giving into the tyke’s demands, he played with him, watching Scout pounce on his fingers and chew on the tips before pawing at his hand and mewling happily at their play. He felt a little better as he cuddled the kitten in front of him, though he didn’t give himself a chance to forget about his plight.

Bucky was expecting him to come over that evening. Steve didn’t even want to leave his bed. Why should he? Who else would see him on the street, point their fingers at him and utter “adulterer” at him? Logically, Steve knew he had to be stronger than this. He was an adult, for Christ’s sake. He needed to be that adult and stand up to everyone, admit his mistake and try to move on. Unfortunately, as someone who prided himself on being as kind and fair to everyone that he could, this really shook his confidence, leaving him feeling more than a little fragile at that moment.

Just as he was contemplating calling Bucky and telling him he wasn’t going to come over that evening, however, his phone rang and he flinched at the sudden, loud noise assaulting him. When he looked down at his phone, he saw it was Bucky calling him, his cheerful, smiling face shining on the screen as his number rang out, waiting for Steve to answer. He very nearly let it go to voicemail, though at the last possible moment, he changed his mind, knowing that that was the coward's way out of this.

“Hello…” he grumbled into the phone, sounding way more pathetic than he had intended as he answered the call.

“ _Hey baby! Sorry I jus’ got outta work. I hadta stay late and clean up the garage some, but I’m headed back to my place. Get ready to stuff yerself full to a coma because I don’ plan on getting’ outta bed with you tomorrow until 3 in the afternoon!”_ Bucky exclaimed, talking a mile a minute as he rattled off his plans for the evening with Steve.

Shit, he sounded so _happy!_ What the hell was Steve supposed to do now?

“Sounds like a total party,” he muttered, not caring in the slightest if he sounded dejected now. He contemplated admitting his mistake to Bucky right then and there. It would have been the best way to go about it. Like a Band-Aid, just- just get it over with. However, at the last second, he choked on his words before stuttering out a piss-poor excuse instead. “Hey, listen, Buck. I don’t think I’m up for hanging out tonight. I’m not really feeling well, and I don’t wanna ruin your night. I’m really sorry, baby…”

Okay, so it was kind of the cheater’s way out of this, but if it gave Steve some time to regroup and figure out how he was going to break this shitty news to Bucky, then he’d take that chance for the time being.

Silence crossed the line for a moment before Bucky made a noise in the back of his throat. _“Aw shit, baby, I’m sorry,”_ he said, sounding genuinely upset. “ _You comin’ down with somethin’? I can come over there tonight, instead. Keep an eye on ya and stuff.”_

Steve felt a pang in his chest at Bucky’s kind words and he found himself swallowing around a lump in his throat. “Babe, I don’t really want to ruin your night. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

 _“D’you_ want _me to come over? Y’kinda sound like you need someone there with ya. ‘Sides if yer really comin’ down with somethin’ y’ pro’ly shouldn’t be left alone. I really don’ mind taking care of ya.”_

Steve was helpless. Helpless to stop himself from wanting to hold Bucky. Helpless to want to make these negative feelings go away at least for a little while. He didn’t want to drag Bucky any further down to the depths of his mistake, but Steve couldn’t help but want to feel some piece of comfort after the brutal attack to his self-worth he’d endured that day. He didn’t want to ruin Bucky’s evening but he really didn’t want to not see him, more. After a moment, he nodded and huffed out a defeated sigh. “Yeah, I do wanna see you…”

_“‘kay then. Gimme twenty minutes, and I’ll be right over.”_

“Door’s unlocked,” Steve sighed, feeling a little better at the thought that Bucky would be seeing him that night after all. After he hung up, Steve resumed fussing with the kitten on his bed, curled up on his side as he let Scout chew on his fingertips and paw at him in an attempt to cheer him up. At least some good would come out of his day after all.

Twenty minutes flew by. Steve found himself dozing lightly on the bed, his glasses knocked askew as he curled up on his side with a kitten tucked into his chest. He barely heard the door open, only opening his eyes when he heard boots being kicked off at the side of the bed. He looked up just in time to see Bucky lay down behind him and wrap his arms around his waist, spooning him from behind and planting light kisses along his neck where he lay. Just like that, all the tension and worry in Steve’s body dissipated at those gentle touches, and he found a smile lighting his features for the first time since Vanessa had cornered him in the grocery store.

“Y’know, leavin’ yer door unlocked like that ain’t exactly a good idea,” Bucky murmured, his lips pressed against his neck as he spoke. “Any old creep like me could come walkin’ in here anytime he pleased.”

“Shut up, you’re not a creep,” Steve replied. He moved his hand to wrap around Bucky’s, pressing his partner’s palm to his stomach as he allowed Bucky to cuddle him like his life depended on it. “You don’t stink like motor oil. You sure you worked today?” Steve added, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Bucky scoffed, shaking his  damp hair at him. “Hey I showered. I’m only an animal like… 60% of the time. I’m not _that_ uncivilized.”

“Oh, good to know,” Steve chuckled, closing his eyes as he finally relaxed into the bed. His fingers tightened around Bucky’s hand and he felt his partner’s thumb rub up against his knuckles as he held him. Such a small gesture had Steve melting into the bed and he found his throat clenching at the sheer emotion welling up in him. “Buck,” he muttered, clearing his throat against the crack that threatened to overtake his voice. “D-do you think we’re uhm-”

“Do I think we’re what?” Bucky asked. Leaning up, Bucky looked down at him, and noted the sadness on his features. “Steve?”

“Do you think we’re boyfriends now? Like, officially boyfriends?” Steve inhaled, waiting impatiently for his response.

Bucky didn’t answer him at first. He simply stared down at Steve, worrying his lower lip between his teeth before he spoke. “Steve, what’s wrong? Why d’ya look so upset? Did somethin’ happen today?”

Steve hesitated. Looking up at Bucky, he offered him a weak smile and shook his head. “I’m just curious.” He settled on the answer easily, though he knew deep down it was a lie. He knew he really had to tell Bucky the truth about Sharon and why he was so upset at that moment, but now didn’t feel like the right time. Maybe later that night…

Bucky smiled, nodding once. “I really care about ya, Stevie. Like more than I’ve ever cared about anyone before in my life. And I really like ya… like, _like_ ya. And I wanna spend as much time with you as I can. I wanna be a better person around ya, and I just wanna see you smile and happy. Sure it’s only been a couple weeks since we started datin’, but I don’ need that much time t’know when I got feelin’s for someone. Besides, I knew I had feelin’s for ya from the minute I first met ya at the beginning of the summer. So yes, we’re officially boyfriends now. And I hope you feel the same way about me.”

Steve’s heart cracked in his chest. He offered Bucky a relieved smile and a nod. Twisting slightly in his arms, Steve reached up, pulling Bucky down into a tender kiss. It wasn’t at all like their previous kisses. This one was soft but desperate, willing to show him how much he really meant to him at this point. Steve cared for Bucky. Steve worried for him. In fact, Steve knew he loved Bucky, which only made his guilt for his actions that much worse now that he knew how Bucky felt about him in return.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Now was the time to focus on his _boyfriend_ , show him how much he really felt for him, and push aside the day’s pain and just _feel._

Breaking the kiss finally, Steve opened his eyes and looked up at Bucky. He licked his lips, feeling the phantom tingle of such an amazing kiss. “Yeah. I feel the same way, Bucky. I really do.” he whispered. Steve gently tangled his fingers in the long strands of Bucky’s still damp hair, massaging his scalp and telling him without words, _‘don’t go away. I want you, more than anything else.’_

With that confirmation out in the open, Bucky and Steve settled into the bed for the evening, content to just lay together and talk about their day in as much detail as Steve was willing to give. When the two of them grew hungry, and Steve was feeling much better, they opted to order sandwiches from the delivery shop on the corner, and settled back into bed when their food arrived, to eat and catch up on some flicks on Bucky’s phone. It wasn’t particularly eventful. The evening was quiet, the two of them huddled around Bucky’s phone as they watched Netflix for the evening, stuffed full of sub sandwiches and chips, and content to snuggle into each other until they both fell asleep, still fully clothed and curled around each other happily.

Tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow, Steve could find the courage to come clean to Bucky about Sharon and tell him about what he was dealing with. Tomorrow, he could pray that Bucky wouldn’t be angry with him and would be understanding of the situation. But until then, Steve was content to know that he had Bucky, that Bucky cared for him as much as he did, and that he wasn’t alone in this world. Love wasn’t easy, and he knew he was going to meet a few more hurdles before he and Bucky could be 100% happy. But for now, Steve could be content to hold Bucky in his arms and showered him with the affection he truly deserved.

* * *

 

Dammit. The side table was buzzing again. It was too early for the side table to be buzzing.

Groaning in his sleep, Steve turned over and swatted at the table in annoyance. His hand connected with the wood, very nearly sending everything on its top crashing to the floor. Steve very nearly didn’t wake up fully to save his precious cell phone before it cracked apart on the frame of the bed; however, just as the device teetered off the edge of the table, Steve snapped out of his tired revere and snatched up the device. He gave it a tired glare for a moment before slumping back into the pillow beneath his head.

He had just opened his mouth to bid a grouchy good morning to Bucky, when he turned his head to the other side of the bed. To his annoyance, he saw that he was all alone, left with sheets that were bare and empty, sleep rumpled and cold from lack of body heat. He’d half expected Bucky to be there, since the two of them had fallen asleep tucked into each other. But like the mystery of how Steve had gotten out of his jeans and into flannel pants (He really didn’t remember getting up after Bucky had ordered them dinner the night before), he was stumped as to how Bucky had managed to sneak out of his apartment without waking him up.

“Mmmm… morning to you too, Buck,” Steve grumbled in mild annoyance. Of course this would be the one time Bucky had chosen to sneak out of his apartment without saying a word. The last thing Steve needed was to be left alone to his negative thoughts in the wake of his stress.

Of course, his annoyance towards Bucky didn’t last long at all. As he lay in bed low-key debating on sending his boyfriend a snarky text message about his rudeness, he glanced down at his phone, only to find himself met with a text message.

A text message from Bucky.

Frowning, he swiped to open, ignoring the other notifications on his phone in order to read his text. Right away, Steve felt ridiculous.

**BB [8:32am] Dnt freak out, i went to go let zima outside and feed her. Plus i have to go back to the garage for a bit but then I’ll be back to your place. Save me a kiss okay baby? ;)**

“Oh,” Steve sighed. He slumped back against the pillow, staring at his phone for a long moment. Of course Bucky hadn’t randomly bailed on him. Of course, Bucky had been considerate enough to at least let Steve sleep in and _still_ inform him where he’d gone. Bucky wasn’t a jerk; he actually gave a shit about Steve’s feelings.

Unlike some people in this relationship.

Steve fell into silence again, feeling like the worst kind of bastard. He couldn’t stop thinking about his mistake and how shamefully he kept that secret from Bucky. Even now, the idea of coming clean to him made his skin crawl with anxiety. What if Bucky got pissed at him and left him? He had every right to. Bucky had every right to be hurt and betrayed by Steve’s actions, and react accordingly.

As much as it hurt him to think about it, Steve wouldn’t honestly be surprised if Bucky dumped his stupid ass over this. Worst of all, if Bucky were to find out about it from outside sources and not Steve himself, Steve would look like an asshole _and_ a coward. There was really no easy way out of this one.

As he wallowed in his mistake, torn about whether or not he should break this to Bucky or hope like hell it blew over without repercussion, Steve heard his phone vibrating with a message. Blinking, Steve looked down at his phone. He could see a Facebook notification at the top of his screen, and he frowned wondering what it could be now. But before he could swipe to open the screen, he saw his phone buzz with another notification. And another. And another.

Dread filled him instantly at the sight of his notifications stacking up on his phone and he immediately got up, darting out to his living room and going to his computer so he could read them easier. Opening up his account, Steve looked to his notice bar, only to see that he had quite a few messages waiting for him, and a handful of wall posts. Instantly, all the spit in his mouth dried up in anxiety, and he stared at his page for a moment, afraid to see what those message could possibly be. “Vanessa, what the fuck did you do…” he murmured.

After a beat, he finally worked up the nerve to click on those notifications, taking him to his wall posts. Several people had left comments on his wall, and none of them were very kind. Sure enough, Vanessa’s word had already gotten out that Steve was a scumbag, and several people had taken it upon themselves to leave scathing messages to him, telling him how low he was for doing what he did to the “greatest girl” he could ever get in his life.

Steve felt sick to his stomach as he read over those messages, alternating from his wall posts to his private messages, reading them one by one. Absolute no one had anything nice to say to him, and everyone that had chosen to post on his wall had taken Sharon’s side on the issue, telling him things such as “it’s nice to see that a self-proclaimed nice guy could be so cruel”, and “you know it’s probably a good thing you two broke up like this and not after you two got married. I can’t imagine what this would have done to Sharon if you’d decided to shack up with someone after you two already tied the knot.”

Those were the nicer comments. Quite a few were filled with scathing expletives and the worst insults Steve had ever had directed at him, and the further down he scrolled his wall, the worse they got.

If his wall posts were that bad, Steve was terrified to see what his messages looked like. But he had to know. If anything, he had to delete them, which required opening them up anyway. So holding his breath, Steve steadied himself as he opened his inbox and began to scroll.

Just like his wall posts, his inbox was filled with messages from angry friends of Sharon’s and many of these were even worse than the public wall posts. A couple people left messages to Steve telling him how they hoped his new “boy toy” got every ounce of hurt coming his way for fucking around with a taken man. A few more messages even added that they prayed his business went under and that if it did, he deserved every moment of financial struggle coming his way. Absolutely no one took his side on the matter, leaving him sitting in his desk chair, staring at his computer screen like he’d been sucker punched in the worst way possible.

Steve had dealt with cases of bullying in his childhood over his skinny frame and his fiery temper. Steve was no stranger to bullies. But this? People calling him out for something so painfully abhorrent… That was something Steve couldn’t handle.

Steve slumped back in his chair, feeling absolutely winded by the whole thing. Numbly, he moved his mouse cursor across the screen and began deleting wall posts and messages, erasing them from his profile one by one until all traces of their attacks were gone from his account. But while the messages were deleted, out of sight and unable to be found by accident by Bucky, they were most certainly not out of mind. They felt burned into his eyes as he stared at his computer screen, unhappily closing his account and cupping his hands over his face.

This was so fucked up. One, stupid mistake had cost him the respect of a lot of people and the trust of the guy he was in love with. He could get over losing those people as his friends; they were really just friends by acquaintance with Sharon. What he would never get over was possibly losing Bucky, and he’d practically done the deed himself. There was absolutely no other way to put it: Steve felt like a monster and Bucky was his victim.

As he sat at the desk, agonizing over what he was supposed to do, a thought occurred to him. He needed advice on the best way to break this to Bucky as gently as possible. He knew for a fact that going to any of his other friends would be a huge mistake, except maybe for Wanda. But then again, she had her own issues with her brother’s health lately, so he didn’t want to burden her with this. Then there was Tony; that was a big mistake. Tony was not the best when it came to advice. He’d had to veto quite a few drinking parties on Tony’s dime simply because the other thought a bottle of scotch was a good therapist for serious issues. So Tony was out of the question.

Then it occurred to him. “Sam,” Steve muttered. Sitting upright, he glanced at his phone, drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair before plucking his phone up. Sam had been out of town for VA work for a few weeks now, leaving only minimal contact through Skype and whenever they remembered to text each other. Steve couldn’t remember if Sam was back in town or not, but it was worth a shot. If anyone could be trusted for great advice, it was Sam.

**SR [9:22am] SOS!!! Help in any form I can get right now! :(**

Steve stared at his phone intently after he sent the text. He knew it was stupid, staring at his phone like that, but he really couldn’t help himself. His heart was already dancing nervously in his chest. Staring at the phone, waiting impatiently for a response was soothing (in a weird, masochistic sort of way).

A minute later, a response came from Sam, and Steve slumped in his chair in relief.

**SW [9:24am] ?!?! What’s going on? Did something happen? Please don’t tell me Tony blew up the bakery :O**

**SR [9:25am] No I fucked up. I fucked up bad. Are you home yet?**

**SW [9:27am] Na man I’m still in DC until tomorrow. What happened?**

**SR [9:29am] Too long to text. But it involves Bucky**

**SR [9:30am] … and Sharon**

**SW [9:37am] Get on Skype. Right now.**

Steve felt like he was balancing on a razor edge. One wrong move and it would be game over for him. He was never good at interpreting meaning through text, but if he had to wager, that was the most disappointed text he’d ever gotten from his best friend. Slumping back in his seat, Steve tossed his cell phone onto the desk before cursor-ing over the Skype icon. He opened up the chat client quickly, and dialed in Sam’s number, pushing his glasses up to his crown in agitation.

As he waited for Sam to pick up, Steve let his eyes roam over his own visage reflected back at him from the screen. The digital rendering of himself stared back, looking sleep rumpled and absolutely disgusting. He really needed to take a shower. He looked just as miserable as he felt.

Moments later, the call connected. Sam was seated at the hotel room’s desk, looking well put together in a suit. He had a worried expression on his face, and he leaned into the screen of his laptop for a moment.

“ _Okay, spill hotshot. What’s going on? I got about an hour before I have to leave for my next panel, and you’re costing me a toasted ham and cheese croissant.”_

Steve snorted. He looked down at himself before sitting up. He didn’t really know a proper way to launch into this to be honest. It was best just to come clean and admit what had happened.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I think in the official sense of the word I’m cheating on both Sharon and Bucky,” Steve blurted out. He looked up at his computer screen, biting his lower lip.

Sam stared back at him through the screen. He sat so still, Steve thought the feed froze for a moment. However, before he could type out a message and see if Sam was still there, his friend shifted, shooting him a shocked look.

 _“Say what?! That cleared up_ nothing _Steve, you wanna run that by me again?”_ Sam slumped, leaning his elbows out of the frame of the picture as Steve watched him. _“That makes absolutely no Goddamn sense. What the hell do you mean you’re cheating on both of them? I thought you and Sharon broke up a month ago!”_

“That’s the thing, I don’t know!” Steve exclaimed. At the confusion on Sam’s face, Steve growled in frustration, holding his head in his hands. “I don’t know how to explain this Sam.”

_“From the beginning, and leave out no details.”_

Steve nodded. He looked up at the computer for a moment before his eyes darted to the door. He didn’t want Bucky to walk in on him like this. He half considered locking the door to his apartment, but opted against it. That would look more suspicious. He turned back to the screen and sighed.

“Okay, okay. A month ago, Sharon and I got in that huge fight I told you about. During the fight, she told me she didn’t want to marry me anymore and to never call her again. That same night, Bucky and I went out on that date and we slept together. Like…. Three times.” He flushed at the memory, and did his best not to pay attention to the dogged smirk that suddenly crossed Sam’s face. “Anyway, so since that date, Bucky and I have been dating exclusively. Now, yesterday, I come to find out that Sharon has been telling people that we just had a huge fight and I’m the one that hurt her. Vanessa approached me at the store and told me that. This morning, I wake up to a ton of shit-talking messages from people, yelling at me for hurting Sharon and such. So I have no idea what to think. Were we officially broken up and I shouldn’t have to worry about it, or does she still think we’re together and I have, then, been cheating on both them?”

Sam listened patiently, nodding every so often at the proper spots. When Steve finished his narrative, Sam bit his lip. “ _Alright. Did you and Bucky do anything before the supposed break up with Sharon? Did you guys have sex before the fight?”_

“No,” Steve said quietly, shamefully. “But he and I sort of… made out a bit before the fight with Sharon.”

“ _How much is a bit?”_ Sam asked carefully.

“Like… our shirts came off? And he almost gave me a blowjob, but I stopped him before we could have sex. Then Sharon and I had that fight the next day, and then Bucky and I had sex that night.”

“ _Okay… so what does Bucky think of all of this?”_ Sam asked, sounding vaguely suspicious.

Steve flinched.  “Bucky has no idea.”

Sam groaned out loud and clapped his hands over his eyes. “ _That’s what I was afraid of. Are you serious, you kissed him_ and _didn’t tell him about your fight with Sharon before you went and slept with him? Isn’t Bucky like-weirded out by the fact that you shacked up with him, even with the possibility of her being in the picture?”_

“Well, in technicality, he has no idea she even exists…” Steve muttered, staring down at his lap.

 _“… that’s even worse, Steve!”_ Sam exclaimed. “ _How long had you two been flirting before you even thought to break it off with Sharon. Don’t you think that’s something you might want to have run past Bucky at all?”_

“I got the gist, I fucked up!” Steve exclaimed. His cheeks were dark red now and he stared at the computer, plaintively. “I know I screwed up, Sam, and I’m trying to figure out a way to fix it. I have to tell Bucky somehow, but I don’t know how to do it without looking like a total asshole. I need your help!”

Sam relaxed. He didn’t respond for a moment, spinning slightly in his office chair as he contemplated Steve’s plight. After a long, agonizingly silent moment, he turned back to the computer and rested his elbows on the desk. “ _Okay, so this is what we need to focus on. According to my therapist superpowers, unfortunately Steve, you did kind of cheat on Sharon. Kissing Bucky before you broke up, even if you didn’t go all the way with him, you still broke the trust. Tony and I told you for months, you shoulda said something to Sharon sooner about leaving her. Maybe a lot of this drama would have been avoided if that would have happened sooner. But the relationship ended, if she said she didn’t want to marry you and to not contact her. And she hasn’t contacted you at all in a month since then. So in short, you two are no longer a couple._

 _“Secondly, you should have said something to Bucky about Sharon sooner. Again, I realize that you saw your mistake. Good for you, but moping about it isn’t going to do any good. You_ have _to tell him about her, and you have to do it fast. Granted, she’s not in the picture, but you gotta tell him about the kiss and then the break up the same day you two fucked. Tell him that you two were an item and that there’s drama going down about your breakup, so he’s at least aware of it happening and he doesn’t get blindsided by any of it.”_

“What do I say to him?” Steve asked. He listened intently to Sam’s words, feeling only the slightest bit better. At least he’d get some sort of answer as to how he was supposed to approach Bucky on this.

_“Honestly, there’s no way to really break it easy to him. You just gotta come out and say it. Tryin’ to sugarcoat any of it is only gonna make him feel like your patronizing him you get me?”_

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. He slumped back again in his desk chair to stare up at the ceiling in exhaustion. “I can see it now. I’m gonna be single by this evening. And to be honest, I think that might end me. I thought a year ago I’d be miserable if I broke it off with Sharon even though I didn’t really love her then. But losing Bucky? That might actually kill me, Sam. He’s-“ Steve stopped. He glanced down at the computer and met his friend’s digitized gaze. “He’s fucking everything to me.”

Sam nodded. He looked down from the camera, before speaking again. “ _You tell him you love him yet?”_ he asked in a quiet tone. When Steve shook his head, Sam offered a weak laugh. “ _Might wanna get on that, chief. Who knows, maybe it’ll help soften the blow of telling him.”_

“I still don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to say to him,” Steve sighed. He could tell the conversation was winding down. Sam had stated he had only an hour before he had to leave, and they’d been on the call for almost 40 minutes at that point. He didn’t want to take up his whole morning like this.

“ _That, I can’t tell you. You know him better than I do. You have to be the one to come up with the best way to tell him about it. It can’t come from anyone else, because no one else is going through this one specific incident like you are. Make sense? No one situation like this is gonna be exactly the same, so the confession isn’t going to be the same either. You just have to commit to telling him. And I mean today, Steve. Not in a week. Not tomorrow. Today. ‘Cause you have no idea if something could come up that’ll fuck you over before you had a chance to come clean.”_

Steve nodded. Sam was right. He had to tell Bucky that day. No questions asked. He just had to pick the best time to tell him. He didn’t quite think just springing it on him would be the wisest idea. Maybe that afternoon would be best. At least Steve hoped that wasn’t too late.

Thanking Sam for his advice, Steve finally signed off of Skype and leaned back in his chair in exhaustion. He plucked his glasses from his eyes and closed them, hoping to will away the return of this migraine while he could. No getting sick on Bucky now. He had a duty to him.

After a long stretch of silence, Steve finally dragged himself to his feet. He slumped his way to the bathroom to take a much needed shower, and wash away the grime and guilt of his whole morning. Bucky hadn’t come back yet, and he had no text from him stating when that arrival would take place. He’d just have to wait patiently for him. Or maybe walk to the garage and meet him halfway. Maybe Bucky would appreciate some lunch from their favored burger shop. That’d be a good way to soften him up again for his ‘big news’.

It was the shortest shower in Steve’s life. Frankly, he hoped it would have lasted longer than that; hiding out in the bath was way preferable than baring his soul to his boyfriend about his mistakes. He was terrified of them possibly breaking up. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he had told Sam that losing Bucky would hurt him. He could feel it now in his heart; if Bucky left him, Steve would have no reason to ever live life again.

It was the mistake of a man who’d poured his whole world into one person, only to break that trust so easily. It was the worst game of chance he’d ever played, and Steve Rogers was slowly losing, moment by moment.

* * *

 

12 hours later, and Steve still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Bucky.

After he’d left his apartment for the day, Steve had walked over to the garage, only to find Bucky finishing up some last minute paperwork he’d forgotten to take care of over the past week. Patiently waiting outside the garage, Steve had passed the time, chatting with Brock on his smoke break as he waited for Bucky to finish up with Clint. It was a mostly relaxed conversation about nothing at all, though Steve could feel his whole body vibrating with nervous anticipation the entire time.

He’d made a vow to himself to tell Bucky at lunch, admit his feelings to him and then admit his mistake. He had it all planned out: tell Bucky how much he meant to him, come clean about his mistake and grovel at his feet, begging him not to leave him. Steve had always prided himself on being a strong willed man that wouldn’t be swayed by the opinions of others. Bu by the ring in his nose, would he throw himself at Bucky’s feet and plead with him not to leave him when he told the truth about Sharon. He was above belittling himself for others. He wasn’t above pleading with Bucky to give him a second chance.

Weird that he was thinking of it as a second chance already. They hadn’t even had the conversation yet.

But by the time Bucky had finished up with his paperwork and came out to find Steve chatting with Brock, all the spit in his mouth and the words on his tongue fled him in sheer panic. Panicked, like a little girl. And he’d clammed right up.

Maybe lunch wasn’t such a good time to tell him. He’d tell him after lunch. That seemed like a safer time period.

So the rest of the afternoon went just like that. Every time Steve would come up to the fateful moment when he’d finally open up to Bucky and tell him the truth, he’d come up with some sort of excuse, or his throat would tighten up so much he’d choke on his words, literally. And with each panic attack that passed him, Steve lost another opportunity.

And infuriatingly enough, Bucky seemed none the wiser.

By the time the two of them had finally collapsed back at Bucky’s apartment for the evening, with Thai food and a bottle of vanilla vodka to cut into their root beers, Steve was exhausted. Mentally exhausted from trying to find the best time to admit to Bucky his mistake. Emotionally exhausted from the onslaught people had been badgering him with all day. Physically exhausted, simply because he wanted nothing more than to hold Bucky, but felt far too guilty to do so.

He was so miserable, his favorite curry rice didn’t even look appetizing to him anymore. Any sort of appetite he might have had from the long day had been totally sapped, leaving him staring down at his bowl in dejection. He wanted to touch Bucky, who looked totally oblivious to his pain and suffering as he happily ate his noodles on the far side of the sofa. He wanted to touch him, to curl up in his lap and seek out the comfort only he could give. But he didn’t even feel worthy enough to do that.

 _‘Christ this whole day is fucked up,’_ he thought to himself sadly. Placing his mostly full curry bowl on the table, Steve tucked himself into the arm of the sofa and let Zima curl up in his lap like a furry little stress ball. _‘Might as well just get drunk and tell him then. That way I’ll be too shitfaced for it to hurt so much…’_

“Ugh! This is fuckin’ disgusting,” Bucky laughed. That caught Steve’s attention and he looked up to see Bucky giving his glass a sour look. “I thought maybe we coulda make our own hard rootbeer. This vodka tastes like shit. Ruined a good batch’a soda.”

“I think using cake vodka is better than vanilla vodka,’ Steve said glumly. “Something to do with the sugar in it. I’m not sure though.”

Bucky looked over at Steve, falling silent for a brief second. Then he nodded, looking down at his glass. “Yeah, yer pro’ly right. I’ll just save the bottle and use it for Blowjobs at Brock’s place. That’ll be fun,” he chuckled. Getting to his feet, Bucky turned back to Steve, his eyes darting down to the mostly untouched food in front of him. “You uh-“ he stopped, looking at Steve. “You need anythin’ from the kitchen? I’m gonna go grab a beer.”

Steve shrugged. “No, I’m okay. Thanks though, babe.” He sighed sadly. _‘Damn is this gonna be the last time I get to call him that? Stop now… you’re not drunk enough for this yet.’_

Bucky didn’t move for a second. After a time, he shrugged and slipped into the kitchen, taking the curry bowl with him to put away. As he did, Steve found himself quietly slipping his hand into his pocket. He’d refrained from checking his phone while he was “eating” dinner with Bucky, but now that he had a moment to himself, he wanted to see if he had anymore nasty messages to delete.

Only a few more had shown up. This signaled that the barrage of bullying had ended for the time being, but they were no less brutal than the other messages he’d received. Steve had tried his best not to read any of them, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he’d skimmed over a few of the lengthier messages. None of them had any kind words to say, and most of them had consisted of some sort of personal slam against his worth as a human being, a ‘little man’ that couldn’t stand up like the big boys, etc. It was gut-wrenching, to see how quickly most of these people here had turned their backs on him over something that could have been avoided so easily.

Maybe he’d survive this onslaught better if he just fucking left New York…

Bucky returned a few moments later, only instead of taking his spot at the other end of the couch like he had earlier, he plopped down right next to Steve, jostling both man and puppy. In his hands, he held two beers, both cracked open, and he held one out to Steve with a determined look on his face.

“Okay, talk.”

“What?” Steve asked, totally surprised by his response. Looking over at Bucky, he found the craft beer shoved under his nose, and he tentatively took it from him before it accidentally spilled on the puppy in his lap. “What are you talking about?”

Bucky sighed heavily. Dropping his hand to his lap, he stared at Steve intently, his lips pulled into a thin line. “Yer a terrible liar and you can’t pokerface fer shit. I could tell somethin’ was eatin’ ya all day, but I didn’t wanna push you. I figured you’d open to ta me when you were ready, but y’just kept pullin’ away from me every time I tried to do somethin’ to cheer you up. Christ, ya didn’t even wanna hold my hand all day!”

Steve blinked. He looked down at his beer, feeling guiltier than sin. He hadn’t even noticed he’d openly pulled away from Bucky. But not holding his hand? That was not like him at all. Steve and Bucky couldn’t get enough touching each other, even if they simply were holding hands. But he’d totally pushed Bucky away all day and made _him_ feel bad now. He was the worst boyfriend ever!

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to push you away,” Steve stammered. He looked up at Bucky at that moment, his eyes wide in dismay. “Just- just been having a really bad day, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or ignore you. I mean it.”

“Well, if yer havin’ a bad day, how come ya didn’t just tell me about it?” Bucky asked. Frowning openly, Bucky scooted back to the other arm of the sofa. He stretched his leg out, and opened his arm wide to Steve. “C’mere, punk.”

Steve never moved so fast in his lap. After extracting himself from beneath Zima, Steve instantly scooted over to the other side of the sofa, where he wrapped himself around Bucky’s middle. He tucked himself into Bucky’s side, resting his head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. At long last, he settled down, soothed by the sound of his thrumming pulse. It was like listening to a gentle wave lapping against the shore and he found himself going boneless in Bucky’s arms right then and there.

 _‘Oh God, I’m gonna lose this,_ ’ he thought to himself in weary realization. He didn’t even look up at Bucky, too scared to look at him as he prepared to spew forth every single dirty word that his confession entailed. He had no choice; he had to tell Bucky now. Bucky knew something was wrong, and he wasn’t going to let Steve go without admitting what he was feeling now. Steve inhaled, squeezing his eyes shut as he formed the words on his tongue, _‘I’m a liar and I hurt you.’_

But those weren’t the words that left him.

“It’s- it’s that, I’ve been thinking about us, and about our future and I realized that maybe I don’t want to stay here in New York anymore.” He blurted out. Instantly, every moral cell in his body came screaming to life, berated him for chickening out at the last possible second. But there it was. His “confession” to Bucky was piss-poor at best, but he was helpless to rectify it; he was too terrified of losing this warm, comforting soul beneath him to admit exactly why it was he didn’t want to stay here.

As he lay in his arms, feeling those strong, calloused hands rubbing up and down his back, Steve felt the brunet’s breath catch in his throat, before he shifted beneath him.

“Steve, what the hell are you goin’ on about?” Bucky asked. He tilted Steve’s head up to meet his gaze, and his eyes were a storm of blue-grey worry as he stared into Steve’s eyes. “Th’fuck is botherin’ you so badly that you won’t tell me? Why do ya wanna leave New York? Are you-“ he stopped. “Are you sayin’ you don’t wanna stay here with me?”

“No!” Steve exclaimed loudly. “No, God that’s not what I’m saying. Not at all. I’m just saying-.“ He stopped, grimacing. “God, I’m just so confused. Why do you see me as such a good guy, Buck? Why do you want to be with me so badly?”

Bucky stared at him. He didn’t move from his spot, but he did lift his free hand from Steve’s back to brush through his tousled blond hair. “Jesus hell, Stevie, where did all this come from? You wanna leave New York because you feel like yer not good enough for me? Where the fuck did that idea come from?!”

Steve relaxed. He looked down at Bucky’s t-shirt, running his finger over the faded pattern in meek little circles. “Just- I’m really not that great a guy. I’m self-righteous sometimes and I get angry really easily. I take up half the bed when I sleep, and I only know that affected you because I woke up and I almost kicked you right out of the bed one time. I’m constantly picking fights with people, I have this stupid habit of not managing money well and I get into these obsessive fits over stupid shit. Did you know I once got so obsessed with the gym, I practically lived there for six months? I’m not joking. Six months, Bucky.”

When Bucky only snorted at his exclamation, Steve found himself indignantly shooting him a glare. Dammit, he was trying to convince Bucky why he wasn’t a good partner here! Why was he laughing? It occurred to Steve at that moment, that he had attempted to take the cheater’s way out of this: maybe if he could convince Bucky that he wasn’t a good partner, he’d never have to admit his mistake to him. Sure, it’d result in the same thing- losing him- but at least it wouldn’t be over something so heinously awful.

“I’m serious. I’m not a good partner, Bucky. And I just… I realized that maybe I’ve been bogged down here in New York and- and maybe you’d realize in a few months that I’m not a good fit for you and you wouldn’t miss me anyway.” Steve slumped, pressing his cheek to Bucky’s stomach. It was the worst, most pathetic and most damning excuse he’d ever rambled out to anyone in his life. Where was his backbone? Where had his pride gone? He was a fucking moron…

“Steve,” Bucky murmured. He continued to brush his fingers through Steve’s hair, trying to soothe him. When Steve didn’t move, Bucky sighed. “I’m afraid of the dark.”

Well. That was not the response Steve was expecting. Blinking in confusion, Steve looked up at his boyfriend; whatever tears that had wanted to form in his eyes at his admission dried up instantly as he leveled Bucky with a confused blink. “Uh- what?”

“I’m afraid of the dark,” Bucky reiterated. “I can’t go a damn night without sleepin’ with some sort of light on. I never been able to do it, ever since I was a kid. If it’s a dark room, I’m up at all hours, nervous and shit. I’m almost thirty and I can’t sleep in the dark, Stevie.”

Steve wanted to respond to it. It was just so random and so strange, he wanted to say to Bucky that it was okay to be scared of something silly. However, before he could, Bucky closed his eyes, and began rattling off his own flaws to Steve.

“I’m afraid of the dark and I have a real hard time rememberin’ where the garbage can is. Sometimes I’m too lazy to clean up after myself, and I lose my temper at people in public when I shouldn’t. I ain’t a mornin’ person at all, and sometimes I make seriously politically incorrect jokes and accidentally insult people. A lot. Plus sometimes I got… I got trust issues. I really don’t have very many friends, ‘cause I got a hard time learning to trust people around me, and that’s where a lot of my anger comes from. Wishin’ that I could make friends as easy as someone like you.”

Steve listened to his explanation, feeling his stomach clenching with dread. Trust issues. That didn’t bode well for his confession at all. At that point, it didn’t matter if he told him about Sharon, or if Bucky found out on his own. Those trust issues would come into play and their relationship would never recover from that.

So why was he so focused on the fact that Bucky was attempting to belittle himself for Steve’s sake?

“Buck- Bucky you’re not a bad person. Everyone’s got little, stupid flaws. Everyone has their phobias.” When Bucky didn’t answer him, Steve sat up, and wrapped his fingers around his wrists. “I didn’t know you were scared of the dark, we’ve never, you know, slept with a light on at my place.”

“No, cause you got a street lamp right outside yer bedroom window. But over here, you never noticed I always got the closet light on when we sleep?” To be honest, Steve hadn’t noticed.

“Look,” Bucky sighed. After a long moment’s contemplation, he sat up, dislodging Steve from his lap and got to his feet. “Don’ move. I got somethin’ to show ya.” When Steve nodded in understanding, Bucky turned and left the living room.

Now, left to himself, Steve tucked himself into the cushions of the sofa, feeling worse than ever. He kept his eyes locked on the far doorway, waiting for Bucky to come back. He hoped it would be soon. This whole evening had taken a turn from bad to worse, and Steve wanted to get the pain over with as soon as possible.

When Bucky returned a few moments later, he had a large, flat case in his hands. Gripping it tightly by the handle, he carried it over to the couch, where he laid it out on the floor next to Steve. Steve watched in curiosity as Bucky knelt on the floor next to the case, popping the clasps one by one. But when Bucky opened the case up, Steve’s eyes widened.

Inside the case was a sleek electric guitar, solid black save for the strings which were bright silver, and boasting a touch of silver accents across the body and the neck of the guitar. He watched in fascination as Bucky held up the guitar from the case, giving it an adoring look before their gazes met again. “Buck- you… you play the guitar?”

“Yup. Well, I used to play it all the time. Now I just kinda pluck around with it when I’m havin’ a bad day.” Bucky murmured. He scooted closer, sitting himself down on the sofa next to Steve as he held the guitar up. “I used to be real good at this. Made a lot of real good memories with this thing here in Brooklyn. Took lessons, played in talent shows, even had a little high school band that I used to play in. We were actually pretty good. Don’t think we were star material, but it was fun as hell you know?”

Bucky paused, giving the guitar a sad once over. As he did, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a rumpled piece of paper. Upon passing it to Steve, Steve realized it was a photograph. Looking down at the photograph, Steve saw a little cluster of people. A woman, a young girl, a man with a proud smile, and a skinny Bucky staring back at him with a small smile on his lips. The Bucky in the photograph looked like he was about 14 years old, and he was tucked into the arm of the man in the photograph. “Is this…”

“My family. Yeah,” Bucky said quietly. He didn’t look at Steve, though his words kept flowing like a river as he poured out his thoughts to him. “I didn’t always used to be so uncertain of myself, or have these stupid little shit things about me. I used to actually be real calm and innocent. But I realized, when I hit high school, that the reason life in my family seemed so perfect was because I was living exactly how my parents wanted me to live. I didn’ really do anything about it at first, until it was too much to ignore. In the end, I wanted to be myself, not a carbon copy of my dad, ya know?

“Then, when I realized I was gay, I met my first boyfriend in high school. His name was Jake. He was 20. I was 16. And I think that was the time when I started really realizin’ I was happy with bein’ myself. Jake took me out to parties and Coney Island on dates. We danced and did karaoke and he bought me all these stupid little presents and he was just… he was awesome. One of the first people that didn’t tease me for my fear of the dark. He was the one that gave me the idea to use Christmas lights around my room, since they aren’t too bright and still help me out.”

Bucky laughed. “Clint and Natasha sort of found out about Jake by accident. I thought they were gonna be pissed at me but they thought he was an awesome guy, even if he was a little older than me. He helped me realize that a lot of what I ‘thought’ I wanted in my life was just me parroting what my parents wanted. That I had my own likes and dislikes, beliefs and habits. Started realizing that I liked my style of clothing and hair, and piercings. I liked certain movies my parents didn’t approve of, and I generally turned myself into what I am today. It’s a huge difference than what I grew up as. I blossomed into myself, even if that ‘self’ ended up lookin’ like a degenerate to a lot of people. But I was happy, and excited to start learnin’ how to live my life the way I wanted it.”

Bucky went somber at that point, holding onto Steve’s shoulders. “Jake helped me get my first tattoo. He knew a tattoo artist, and talked him into giving me the little red star on my shoulder. Jake held my hand through the whole thing and I swore I’d never tell anyone about it, since I was still 16 at the time. But I guess I didn’t do such a good job, ‘cause my mom found the tattoo first. They got me to admit where I got it from and that’s how they found out I was dating Jake. Mom was heartbroken, Dad was pissed. But at that point I was just so mad at them for tryin’ to make me feel guilty about something I had really wanted, I didn’ care what I said to hurt them. I admitted I was havin’ sex with Jake, and- God, that was the biggest mistake of my life. They got so mad, they told me to break up with him, or else they were gonna have him arrested for it.”

Bucky glanced over at Steve, and a sad smile crossed his lips. “It scared me so bad, I warned Jake about it, and he left before my parents could get him in trouble. I knew I was never gonna see him again after that, but it didn’ matter as long as he didn’ get in trouble for something I wanted to do. After he left, my family relationship was completely ruined. By the time I turned 17, I was already fightin’ back, tellin’ em what it was I wanted out of my life. They tried to convince me I wasn’t gay and that I wanted to go to school to be an accountant like my dad was. Mom kept tellin’ me that I was going to influence my little sister into bein’ a monster like I was. My dad kept tellin’ me that if I didn’t stop pretendin’ to be a “faggot” he’d disown me. They both told me I was gonna rot in hell and that every bad thing that came my way, I deserved, unless I changed my ways and went back to bein’ the kid they wanted.

“One night, before a big band gig I had at my school, I got into a big fight with my family. Told them I was gonna go to the gig and that I’d be back later that night. They refused to let me go, and my dad said he was convinced I was whoring myself out.” Bucky went quiet at that. He leaned back into the sofa, still clutching his guitar close as his mind recounted those ugly memories. He didn’t look at Steve, though Steve could see the beginning shine of hurt in his eyes.

After a breath, Bucky tore his gaze away from the far wall and met Steve’s again. “I remember everything he told me, how I was a damned man and sick because I wanted to be with other men. We got into such a fight, we admitted we hated each other. I knew there was no way we were gonna resolve that fight, so I told him that I was goin’ to my show and that if he wasn’t going to accept me as who I am, then he’s not my dad. He told me to get out of his house and shoved me down the stairs. Broke my collarbone in two places.”

“Jesus,” Steve breathed, his eyes wide in sorrow. “I-I had no idea, Buck…”

Bucky shrugged. “After I broke my collarbone, I managed to pack up a backpack’s worth of clothing and my guitar, and limped my way over to Clint’s house. Clint’s mom rushed me to the emergency room and tried to press charges against my father for it. But I didn’ wanna get involved with that shit no more, so I begged her not to and that I could take care of myself. I couch surfed at his house and Nat’s house for three months while I finished up my senior year of high school, just in time to walk across the stage and get my diploma. I got a job working odd end hours at different garages and stuff so I could pay for a studio apartment, and relied heavily on Nat and Clint for help. I met Brock through one of my part time jobs, and when I lost my studio, he let me crouch with him for a year until I got back on my feet. I never saw my family again after that.”

Steve watched him, his eyes shining with tears as he listened to his boyfriend’s story. Wiping his hand on his cheek, Steve cleared his throat and stared down at the floor. “And you did all that, despite what people told you, you could and couldn’t do.”

Bucky nodded. Placing the guitar back down in his case, he turned back to Steve. “It all started because I asked my parents when I was 14 years old for a guitar for Christmas. It was the only present I wanted and it was the only present I got. I was happy with it, and they regretted buying it for me because they believed it turned me into a “devil”. I believe it was a window to me bein’ the best damn guy I could be for _myself_. And despite all of that, even now I got problems and issues. I ain’t perfect. I didn’ come outta that a strong, structured human being. I work in a damn garage and I’m happy about it! But I still got confidence issues ever since the fallout with my family. I’ll pro’ly never get over em. But it don’ matter, because I’m me and ain’ nobody out there gonna convince me that I need to change or be a “good” man to deserve my happiness.”

“So,” Bucky said. He tugged Steve into his lap, giving him a hard, long look for a moment. “Don’ you dare tell me how happy I’m supposed t’be and who I’m supposed t’be happy with. You hear me? Don’ you dare try to convince me yer not good enough fer me because of whatever stupid ass people on Facebook have been sayin’ about you.”

Steve spluttered, his face going white at that. But before he could stammer out an explanation, Bucky held his hand up to him. “I didn’ read any of yer messages over yer shoulder, but I could see somethin’ about it was buggin’ you all day. Whatever they said you did wrong, don’t let it convince you you ain’t good enough for me, because babe, that is the most fucked up thing I ever heard. If anyone ain’t good enough or someone, it’s me. But you chose me and I’m gonna run with it as long as I can. Yer my end game for me, babe, and I’m gonna keep you as long as you’ll have me.”

With that, Bucky leaned in and yanked Steve into a kiss.  It was a rough kiss, all teeth and tongue, but Steve went pliant at the touch the moment Bucky dominated the action with a deft and righteous insistence. Slumped against Bucky’s chest, Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky’s neck, nipping and tugging on his boyfriend’s lower lip with a whimper of delight.

The action was so sudden and so insistent, Steve felt his skin ignite with arousal at the first touch. All his past insecurities and worries instantly flew out the window at Bucky’s touch, and he broke the kiss to utter a broken, needy sound. The minute he broke the kiss, he felt Bucky nose his way to his throat, and he canted his head to allow him access. Those full, slightly chapped lips attacked his throat instantly, making Steve squirm in his lap as Bucky sucked and nibbled his skin, leaving a bright red bruise on the flesh there. “Oh God,” he breathed, tightening his fingers in his shoulders. “Oh God, you have no idea how much I love you…”

The moment those words left Steve, Bucky froze in his spot. It took Steve a split second to realize what he’d said; when he did, his eyes widened in shock and dismay and he tugged away from Bucky to assess what kind of damage his words had caused. He flinched internally at the sight of Bucky staring at him like that, his lip trembling as he struggled to find his words; Christ, what could Bucky possibly be thinking at that moment? He fucked up. He had so fucked up. “I didn’t… I mean, I-I shouldn’t have said-“

“Stevie.” Buck said. His voice was firm, but his eyes danced happily and his lips broke into a bright smile. “You really mean that?”

Steve’s mouth snapped shut. Unable to say anything else, for fear that he’d make this all worse, he nodded to Bucky. Well. It was out in the open now. The wrong secret, granted. But it was there.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Bucky laughed. Without missing a beat, he threw his arms around his neck and pressed frantic kisses up and down his cheek, pulling Steve closer to himself. “You ain’t got a fuckin’ clue how long I was waitin’ to tell you the same thing.” Pulling back, Bucky cupped his palms over Steve’s cheeks to level him with the brightest, happiest smile yet. “I love you too, Stevie. I didn’t know when I could tell ya, but Jesus Christ, I fuckin’ love you so much.”

Steve felt like he had whiplash. He’d been expecting the absolute worst reaction out of Bucky, and here he was, showering him with kisses, praises and his own declaration of love. Well… maybe it was the perfect moment after all.

“Jesus Christ,” Steve breathed. His face broke into the brightest, happiest smile he had ever worn in his life, and his heart raced into a frantic drumbeat against his ribcage. All at once the adrenaline poured into his veins, making his skin buzz with delight and his mind zero in on that one phrase. It was there, out in the open. Love. The kind of love Steve had always thought he’d had in his life, but never truly experienced.

It was the most intoxicating feeling in the world.

Throwing his arms around Bucky’s neck, Steve laughed as he yanked the brunet closer to himself. He pressed his lips to his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his cheeks, peppering the skin with frantic little kisses. His face felt like it would crack in half as he held him close and a manic little giggle escaped into the quiet room around them. “You have no fuckin’ clue how happy that makes me, Buck!” He gasped. Tearing away from him enough to lay eyes on him, Steve beamed at his boyfriend with utter devotion in his eyes. “I’ve been dying to say it to you for a week now.”

“I can tell. Yer cheeks are bright red,” Bucky laughed. He reached up to brush his thumb over the apples of his cheeks, tracing the outlines of his smile carefully. “Yer so fuckin’ beautiful. Yer so fuckin’ beautiful and yer all mine.” Leaning in, Bucky pulled Steve down into another kiss; this time the kiss was a little less frantic, and he lingered for a moment, taking the time to inhale his scent. Lips touched and pressed in the gentle caress, and his eyes fluttered open until Steve could actually feel his lashes brush against his brow. “Baby please… Will ya let me show you how much I want you? Can I make all those stupid thoughts go away for good and show you how much I actually _need_ you in my life?”

Steve shivered. Feeling Bucky’s breath against his lips, the flush of his lashes, hell even the warmth of his skin so close to his own, had him tumbling harder and faster than ever before. If he’d already fallen in love with Bucky, he’d finally hit rock bottom. There was no way he was crawling out of this hole. And he was happily going to stay, buried in Bucky Barnes for the rest of his life if he could.

“Yes.” Steve murmured. Opening his eyes, he saw Bucky watching him, their noses brushing slightly as they smiled at each other. “Yes, please, Bucky. Please show me.” Without a word, he reached down and tugged on his t-shirt. Pulling it up and over, he divested himself of his shirt, leaving him topless as he straddled Bucky’s waist on the sofa. This close, he could feel his boyfriend’s figure shivering wildly in delight, and he tightened his knees on either side of his waist to draw him closer. “Please… please make me forget. I love you.”

With that, Steve cupped Bucky’s jaw in his hands and pulled him closer. He leaned into the kiss hungrily, his thumbs brushing over his cheeks. Already the heat between them was growing, their hips twisting and rutting into each other. If they were already this wound up from a kiss and a promise of devotion, there was no telling what they would do to each other. Oddly enough, Steve didn’t want that. He didn’t want a wild fuck; as much as he loved it when the two of them lost control and simply drowned in each other’s lust, he wanted something different that night. He wanted something a little ‘more’. With that thought, Steve reached back the moment he felt Bucky’s arms wrap around his waist; he gripped his wrists gently and pulled his hands to his sides, where his fingertips found his bare skin. “Don’t fuck me,” Steve breathed. When he received a confused look from Bucky, he laughed. “I mean I want you to love me.”

Bucky gasped. Tightening his fingers, he dug his nails into Steve’s wrists, just barely, as he looked up at him. “Yeah, baby, I can do that.” He whispered. Pulling his hands free, he plucked Steve’s glasses from his face, and gently lay them down on the table. “Where do you want me, baby? You wanna stay here? Or go in the bedroom?”

“Bedroom. Please.” Steve begged. He watched as Bucky squirmed beneath his legs and he laughed, throwing his thigh over to crawl off of his lap. He got instantly to his feet, holding his hand out to Bucky as he helped him up from the couch. Without waiting, he tugged the brunet towards the bedroom, his limbs trembling as he glanced back at him. A huge smile danced on his lips as he watched Bucky follow him, before he broke into a bright and cheerful laugh. “C’mon! Don’t let me ruin the moment here! I said love me, not dawdle!”

“You ain’t ruinin’ nothing, get on the bed!” Bucky chuckled. He kicked the door shut behind him to keep Zima out of the room, before corralling Steve towards his platform bed. The bed was still bedecked with the same, anthropologie styled quilt that Steve loved snuggling up in; Steve fondly glanced at the messy blankets, remembering that Bucky had slept over the night before. Well, it was a good thing the bed wasn’t made, since they were going to mess it up anyway.

With a laugh, Steve allowed himself to collapse back into the bedding. “I’m gonna get lost in these blankets, Buck.” Steve snickered. Nevertheless, he lounged back onto the mattress, propped up on his elbows as he watched Bucky drop down to his knees on the floor next to it. “What’re you doing?”

“Shh. Doin’ my job. Makin’ you forget yer bad thoughts.” Bucky glanced up at Steve, grinning brightly at him. As he did, he reached up, carefully undoing the buckle of his belt and tugging his jeans open. Without missing a beat, Bucky leaned in to press kisses to the v-cut of Steve’s hips as he tugged the cloth down, down over his legs. He threw the pants across the room as he continued to press kisses into Steve’s stomach, along the lines of his abs, and down the tops of his thighs in languid, butterfly kisses. “I love everything about you, baby… The way you smile, the way yer skin turns pink every time you look at me.”

“Hmm…” Steve hummed happily. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back as he relished the feeling of Bucky kissing his bare skin openly. He could feel his dick begin to stir to life, pushing the fronts of his underwear up, and he fought the urge to reach down and touch himself. This wasn’t for release. This was for giving himself entirely to Bucky’s control and pleasure. He could wait. “I love your lips on me. You make me feel so good, even during the worst of my days,” he breathed happily. “I just- I just love being able to see you after a long day. Even if we don’t do anything, I love being with you, Buck.”

“Well that makes two of us, baby. You got no idea how happy it makes me to see you. Even if it’s just to give you a kiss and tell you how pretty you look. I love to worship you,” Bucky continued. As he did, he bent, letting his lips continue to trace down his thighs, over his knees, and across his shins. “Every inch of you is fuckin’ perfect. S’like God came down and crafted the perfect human being and decided I was worthy enough to get to make love to him. If I didn’ know any better, I’d say I died and went to heaven.” Lifting Steve’s leg, Bucky pressed a kiss to the arch of his foot, his fingers firm around his ankle. He glanced up at Steve, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he met the blond’s gaze, and he nuzzled his nose into the arch of Steve’s foot again. “Every inch of you, Stevie. S’like kissin’ a fuckin’ angel.”

It was supposed to be romantic, but Steve knew better; he knew Bucky knew exactly what he was doing and he couldn’t help but feel an exasperated devotion towards him. He knew he was tickling his foot. Masking it behind devoted words, the little shit. Steve stifled a laugh at the kiss, and he fought to keep his leg from kicking out. “Tickles! Be careful!” He laughed, looking down at Bucky with delight; despite the fact that Bucky had relented on his tickles, he still hadn’t let go of his foot. Steve retaliated by bumping his heel into his jaw and his smile softened. “I’m perfect to you? That can’t be right. I’m not perfect.”

“Yes you are,” Bucky countered. He gently let his lips graze over the arch of Steve’s foot, dragging them up his ankle and back up the length of his leg. He dropped his foot to the ground, slowly crawling up his torso as he continued to press those kisses into his bare skin. Every inch of Steve’s legs were covered in kisses, and Bucky didn’t stop there. Didn’t allow himself to hesitate as he dragged them up and up towards his stomach, and hovered just above his groin. He looked up at Steve, winking at him as he pressed a gentle kiss to his cock. “You wanna know why yer perfect, Stevie?”

Steve didn’t answer. Instead, he allowed himself to lay back on the bed to watch as Bucky crawled up his figure and press his lips into the muscle of his chest. His heart ramped up in an excited gallop as he watched his boyfriend’s figure. He loved seeing the way Bucky’s hair obscured his face, or the way his muscles bunched under the tattooed skin of his arm. He loved feeling the tickle of his piercings against his skin, a shock of cold contrasting the warmth of his flesh. He loved the way Bucky’s eyes would shimmer and glaze over in delight as he met his own, the two of them staring into each other’s souls like there was nothing else in this world.

When Bucky stopped to press a kiss to his cock, Steve found himself breathless with want. He fought a moan back, stilling his hips despite their insistence for more friction, and he tightened his fingers in the blankets. “Why’s that?” He asked breathlessly. He was doomed, if Bucky could get him this riled up with a single kiss.

Bucky smirked. “Because you are a winner and a champion. You made your own life and you turn heads wherever you go. You got yer own business and a perfect life, and you make people wanna be you.” Without taking his eyes off of Steve, Bucky worked his fingers beneath the hem of his underwear, and tugged them down his hips with a delighted sigh. When Steve’s cock sprang free to the cool air around them, Bucky turned his attention back to his groin. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his fingers around his length, propping it up. He didn’t hesitate as he wrapped his lips around the head, flicking his tongue over the sensitive tip.

With a hum in his throat, Bucky swallowed, lowering his head as he sucked, lapping over the silken length of his cock before withdrawing again. He glanced up at Steve through his eyelashes, challenging him for a moment as he bobbed his head, steady and sure. As he sucked him off, Bucky slowly twisted his fist around the base of Steve’s dick, stroking where he couldn’t quite reach.

Steve choked as his head fell back to the bedding. His fingers loosened from around the blanket to wrap themselves up in Bucky’s hair. Giving the dark strands a sharp tug, he bit off a whimper, unable to stop his hips from bucking up into that hot wetness. He would never get over how perfect Bucky’s mouth was around him, nor how perfectly his cock fit in those plush lips. He tore his eyes open, glancing down at Bucky to watch his head bob and descend on his dick, sucking him just this side of uncomfortably, and he whimpered. “B-Bucky… oh God, Buck!” he gasped.

He was blind. Blinded by the pleasure coursing through his veins; blinded by the overt sensation of his prick being tickled and licked so perfectly. He squirmed again and bucked up. Only this time when he did, he heard Bucky choke, and he snapped back to the present. Shit. He’d accidentally choked him. “S-shit, Bucky, I’m sorry-“

Bucky silenced him. Holding a hand up to him, Bucky pulled off of his cock long enough to get his gag reflex back under control. Looking up at Steve, he offered him a confident smirk, and pulled his hair back. Licking his lips, Bucky descended again, swallowing his length down. Only this time, he pulled his hand from the base of his cock and with careful consideration, slowly swallowed him down. Inch by inch, he took Steve’s length in, taking a break every so often to breathe through his nose. It seemed impossible, with Steve’s length…

But miraculously, Bucky managed to get all of Steve into his mouth, swallowing carefully as he slowly drew back. He didn’t look up, too focused on his task of deep-throating him to meet his gaze at that moment.

Steve gasped, totally blown away. Bucky had given him blowjobs. He’d given him multitudes of them, but he’d never been able to get all of him down in one go. The fact that he’d succeeded finally was the biggest thrill Steve had ever experienced and he nearly came off right then at that thought. He tightened his fingers in the bedding again, holding absolutely still. He didn’t want to ruin the moment. Lord help him, if he did. “Jesus Christ, Buck-!” He gasped desperately. Oh Christ, he needed more. He needed more stimulation or he was going to lose his mind.

Finally, Bucky pulled back, coughing just a bit as he calmed his reflex down again. Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, Bucky looked up at Steve, offering him a doting, wondered look. “I will never understand why… You coulda had anyone else in this world and you picked the outcast. You coulda had your pick of the most perfect humans on this planet and you chose me. You don’t care about status or wealth or popularity. You chose to see something worth loving in me. I ain’t ever gonna be good enough for you, but I’m gonna do my damn best to love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

Bucky leaned back. He knelt on the bed between Steve’s legs, and pulled his own shirt from his torso. Throwing it across the room, he reached down, undid his own jeans and shoved them off of his legs, underwear and all, and kicked them off to kneel totally naked on the bed with Steve. There was no finesse to his actions. He just wanted those clothes off of him, right then and there, it seemed. “So, I’m gonna do right by you in this world and ain’t nobody gonna stop me from treating you like a prince. That I swear to you.”

With his speech given, Bucky leaned down to frame his hands on either side of Steve’s shoulders. He bridged himself over him, and Steve felt his breath catch in his throat as he pressed the tiniest kiss to the tip of his nose. “You believe me, right Stevie?”

“Yes,” Steve whimpered. He reached up, pushing his hands into Bucky’s hair and tugging him into a kiss. He broke the moment just briefly as he yanked Bucky down into himself. Without waiting he looped his leg around the brunet’s waist, hiking his hips up just enough to wiggle his own underwear off his thighs and throw them across the room. The feeling of warmth against his hardened, damp cock had him shivering as he undulated, rucking his hips up against Bucky’s in an insistent roll. “I believe you, Bucky. I love you, please, _please_ , make love to me. I need you now.”

Bucky grinned in the kiss, breaking it enough to lean up. He regarded Steve with a careful, loving gaze before he pushed himself off of him to reach for the little basket on his nightstand to grab their trusty slick to do the job. They had discovered that that particular bottle of lube had magical properties. When they had run out of their usual bottle of slick, Bucky had purchased another, though he hadn’t noticed he’d picked up the “relaxing’ variety by accident. When the two of them had fallen into a heated, passionate entanglement one night, Steve had pleaded and pleaded for Bucky to just take him without really prepping him, a feat that had taken some coaxing.

But when Bucky had finally agreed, lubing up with their “special” slick, it had only taken a few thrusts for Bucky to fully seat himself inside Steve. Somehow, this lube had been a Godsend, and Steve had relaxed enough to open right up for Bucky without pain or stretch or anything of the sort. It had been one of the best orgasms of their whole relationship.

Even now, he could smell the menthol ebbing from the bottle. Prying his eyes open, Steve looked over to see Bucky holding their magical lube and trying to tear a square of foil off of their condom package. Without thinking, Steve suddenly sat up. He leaned over and grabbed Bucky’s shoulder, yanking him to the mattress before he could tear off a condom for their use. Before Bucky could even protest, Steve threw his leg over his lap, straddling his waist as he peered down at Bucky in predatory want. “No. Don’t.”

“Don’… don’ what?” Bucky asked, breathless. Nevertheless, his fingers latched onto Steve’s thighs, where they were framing his stomach, and he gave the muscles a gentle squeeze. “Stevie…”

“Don’t grab one. I don’t want one,” Steve said firmly. He reached over, grabbing the bottle of slick from where it lay on the bed, and popped the cap. Without a word, he squeezed a dollop into his palm and reached back, slicking up Bucky’s bare cock with gentle, firm strokes. “I wanted to make love to you, I don’t want there to be a stupid barrier between us. I want you, all of you. Not a rubber.”

Bucky moaned. His cock twitched in Steve’s hand at the cool touch, and he hissed as the menthol in the slick brushed bare skin. Looking up at Steve, he tightened his fingers in his thighs, looking just the slightest bit uncertain. “Stevie… shit, you sure baby?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” Steve murmured. When he had Bucky’s cock slicked up, Steve used what remained on his hand, carefully reaching behind himself to slick up his own hole. He let his eyes drift shut and a shudder of delight rocked him as he pressed his own finger into his hole, just enough to spread some of the lube up inside himself. “Mmmm… please, Bucky. Please love me. I love you and I don’t ever want to use one again.”

Even with his eyes closed, Steve could sense Bucky collapsing under the weight of his pleas, diving wholeheartedly into the idea. Making love without a condom… they had never even talked about not using condoms anymore, but there was no one else in this world that Steve trusted more. He’d throw that box of condoms away himself, if it meant getting to have all of Bucky to himself from then on.

Bucky uttered a low, deep moan of delight. Steve opened his eyes in time to feel the other reach up, digging his fingertips into his shoulders as he pulled him down. Bucky met him halfway, pressing his lips into Steve’s throat, right at his shoulder muscle, and gently bit down. “Nnngh baby… yes. Yes. Gonna let me mark you all up, huh?” he growled. Biting a little harder Bucky let his teeth dig in, before he pulled back to regard him with possessive intent. “No more rubbers. No more waitin’. Gonna fill you up so everyone knows you’re mine and I’m yours.”

Steve shuddered, relishing the feel of the bite burning his flesh. He bent his head, nuzzling into Bucky’s neck in return to sink his teeth into the juncture of his throat; he fought back a smile when Bucky jumped at the bite, and he gasped when his fingertips dug into his hips, angling his ass back. A moment later, he felt the tips of Bucky’s fingers prod against his hole, pushing two in at once and stretching him with scissor thrusts.

“Nngh!’ Steve gasped. Leaning back, he stared down at Bucky as he rocked his hips back against his fingers, pushing himself to the third knuckles instantly as he panted and breathed for air. “Yeah, yeah… mark me up. I want you to come inside me, Buck. I wanna know I’m yours. Please.” He choked when Bucky’s fingers crooked inside him, and he whimpered, unable to hold his head up as he pushed and rocked back against his hand. “C’mon, fill me up. Please… _nnnn-please_ …”

“With my sincerest pleasure, baby.” With a huff of breath, Bucky leaned back, and pulled his fingers free from his ass. He didn’t stop as he gripped his own cock in his palm and angled it, pushing Steve’s hips back against his lap. The first nudge of his cock brushed against the edges of his hole for a moment; one, two, three short thrusts had him breaching him in a smooth, hot glide of flesh against flesh. “Nnnhhh-! Oh _fuck_ …!” Bucky wheezed at the intrusion. His head fell back against the mattress, his cheeks a high flush as his bare cock penetrated him almost in one go. “Oh fuck, baby… feels- feels fuckin’ amazing!”

Steve gasped. He could only imagine how different it felt for Bucky, if he could tell the difference himself. Without the condom there, the two of them felt connected on a soul-deep level, bonded closer than any other human being on this planet. The tingle of menthol was almost unbearable, with the heat and silken slide of velvet flesh rubbing up against his walls. Steve couldn’t stop himself as he rocked his hips back, engulfing the rest of his length in one, slick slide. He sat up, allowing himself to swallow Bucky’s cock until they were flush, ass to lap as he stared at each other with awe in their eyes.

“M-magic lube,” Steve croaked out with a laugh. His fingertips dug into Bucky’s chest, and he slowly rolled his hips on his lap. He very nearly jumped right off his lap at the sudden, electric sensation of nerves and flesh, rubbing raw and exposed against each other and he moaned, loud and wanton into the room. “Jesus! Fuck, f-feels… feels so good,” He gasped, meeting Bucky’s eyes again.

“Yer tellin’ me,” Bucky moaned. His fingertips dug into Steve’s thighs, holding him close as he bucked his hips up in experimental little thrusts. He jolted beneath Steve, eyes rolled in pleasure as he rocked his hips up into him. “Oh God, that’s so good… what’d I say? Yer f-fuckin’ perfect.”

Steve swallowed, listening to his words. He leaned down, allowing himself to run his own assortment of kisses up and down his chest. Steve’s fingers traced nonsense patterns into Bucky’s chest, up the expanse of his muscled arms, and down his sides as he kissed and nipped little marks into the mounds of his pecs. As he did so, he slowly rocked his hips, back and forth, gently raising and lowering himself in a slow, gentle ride.

This wasn’t the night for wild and excited. This wasn’t the night to ride hard and fast. This was a night to worship one another. A night to prove to each other that love was a real, tangible force and Steve was going to milk it for all he was worth. He opened his eyes, looking down at Bucky as he slowly rode him, hips gliding in smooth even strokes as he rocked himself on his cock in gentle glides. This is what love felt like. This was perfection.

“Bucky,” Steve whimpered. He leaned down, bracing his elbows on the bed as he pulled him into a kiss, sweet and tender. He felt his boyfriend’s fingers dig into his hips and his thrusts pick up pace just a bit. Steve gasped, losing the rhythm of his own body as Bucky took over, claiming him. His thrusts took on a slightly more erratic pace, and with each one, Steve could feel the tip just graze his prostate. Just the right amount of ‘too much’ and not enough kept Steve on his toes, and he whined into Bucky’s shoulders with delight.

The moments ticked by, fluid and satin pleasure washing over their skin. Steve whimpered, pressing desperate kisses into Bucky’s cheeks, his throat, and his lips. He found himself wanting more as he sucked Bucky’s throat, marking him as he sank his teeth into the flesh to bruise. “Mm… so good. You’re so perfect in me.” He breathed. He worried the flesh in his teeth, feeling Bucky’s figure shivering beneath him. “You gonna come inside me, Bucky? Come inside me, paint me all up so everyone knows I’m yours.”

“ _Nngh_! Keep talkin’ like that and it won’t be long,” Bucky gasped. Pushing Steve’s shoulders back just slightly, Bucky allowed Steve to sit back on his lap, fully upright. With his hands free now, Bucky let his fingers run up and down the blond’s chest, feeling out the tension in his muscles and the blood pounding between the surfaces of his skin. He watched in awe as Steve took the hint, bobbing himself on his lap in eager gyrations.

With a moan of delight, Bucky reached down and wrapped his fingers around Steve’s cock. He stroked, slow and steady as the other rode in growing enthusiasm. The slick, wet sounds of their lovemaking only fueled their growing lust, and Bucky dug his heels into the bedding to leverage his own thrusts up into Steve’s willing body. “Fuckin’ love watching you like this. Lookin’ all needy for me. Can’t get enough of me can you, baby? Beautiful angel, all fuckin’ mine,” Bucky whined, stroking harder and faster.

Steve panted. The muscles in his thighs began to burn as he bounced, up and down, stroking himself over Bucky’s cock. The tingle of flesh against flesh left the faintest burn inside him, as friction began to grow between the two of them. But that only proved to drive him further, and his fingers dug into Bucky’s chest. The feeling of his fist around his own cock had Steve’s hips stuttering, and his head lolled in delight, eyes drifting shut as he panted ragged and wet. “Auuh God… fuck yes!” he cried. With the right angle, he canted his hips back and allows Bucky’s cock to stroke over his prostate as he bore down on him to the wet slap of skin. “Shit! Oh God, baby I’m already getting close!”

Bucky nodded. But instead of continuing, he suddenly grabbed Steve’s hips. Pushing him to the bed, he rolled them over, slowing the pace down considerably. With a tut and a smile, Bucky carefully laid Steve out on his back, resting his head on his pillow as he ran his fingers over his nipples. “Shhh baby… shh,” he soothed when Steve protested the motion. Gripping his thighs, Bucky lifted Steve’s legs and wrapped them around his waist before looming over his torso. He pulled Steve back into a kiss as he guided his cock and thrust back into him, a wet, firm shock as he filled him again. He didn’t hesitate to pick up his thrusts again, splitting Steve open as he pressed loving kisses into his lips. “There you go… just like this baby. Wanna come like this,” he breathed between kisses.

Steve nodded, a whimper dying on his tongue. He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s shoulders, holding him close as he rocked his hips back. Bucky was right; it might not have been their most adventurous position, but it was perfect for this night. This close, he could feel Bucky’s pulse, his heartbeat against his own, and he tightened his legs around his waist. Drawing him in closer, Steve let his fingers roam down Bucky’s back as he rocked back against his cock. “Y-yes, please… like this. Wanna feel you come inside me, Bucky. Just like this.”

“Mmm baby I will.” Bucky gasped. He pulled back enough to press his forehead to Steve’s, and the two of them met gazes, locked tightly to one another. For the longest time, they maintained this, slow and sure. Dropping little kisses here and there, Bucky kept his hips in a steady pace, thrusting up into Steve’s hole. Every so often, he adjusted his angle, brushing over his prostate before backing off and picking up the same pace again. Keeping Steve on edge, he pressed his lips to his collarbone biting the jut of bone carefully.

Steve whimpered. His fingers tightened on Bucky’s back for a moment before he dropped his left hand to his side. With one hand around Bucky’s neck, he stroked his index finger over a nipple, teasing the brunet above him with little flicks of his finger. When Bucky hissed at the attention, Steve grinned a little. He twisted his fingers over the nub, feeling Bucky jolt above him. It was amazing. Watching Bucky come apart above him like this, the conflicting pleasures of “I need you now” and “take it slow” drove Steve insane. He wanted more but less at the same time. He was going to come, and Bucky had barely touched his cock. He really had a magical boyfriend of his very own.

Gradually as the minutes passed, Bucky’s pace picked up, growing more erratic as the rawness of their sex began to consume them both. He dug his hands into the bedding beneath Steve, levering himself up to angle his hips. Pressing one more kiss into his skin, Bucky tightened his fingertips into the bedding and buried his face in Steve’s neck. Moaning into his sweaty flesh, Bucky’s hips snapped forward, angled properly this time and drilling up into his prostate with every thrust.

Steve cried, tossing his head into the pillow. He felt totally wrecked, despite the earlier calm of their love making. No amount of fore-play could have ever made him feel this wrung out. He attributed it to the lack of condom between the two of them, as the growing sensation between them only made the passion of Bucky’s thrusts that much more intense. “Bucky-! Bucky, _aaahhh…!_ God, you’re driving me crazy,” he gasped, ragged. His fingertips dug into his shoulders as he cocked his hips back seeking out the perfect angle from his thrusts. “C’mon Bucky! Come inside me. Fuck, I’m close!”

“Makes t-two of us!” Bucky hissed into his throat. He pulled away from his skin to meet Steve’s hooded gaze once again. With a wicked smile, Bucky plucked his hand free from the tangle of their sheets and wrapped his fist around Steve’s cock. Without mercy, he began to pump his fist, stroking in fast, jerky motions as his own hips fought to keep pace with his hand. Panting heavily, Bucky leaned in and pressed open mouthed kisses to his bare chest as he stroked and fucked with the intensity of a touch-starved man. “C’mon baby, come for me. That’s right. Let go, lemme see those beautiful eyes while you do it. Let go Stevie… come to me.”

 _“Nnn!!”_ Steve choked on his words. His fingers tightened on Bucky’s shoulders as he bucked wildly beneath him. The dual sensation of Bucky’s calloused fingers and bare cock had him careening into pleasure, and a sharp whine left him. Before he could even utter Bucky’s name, he went taut, spine arching off the bed. His orgasm, powerful and mind-numbing, rocked his very figure, making every nerve ending go numb and every cell in his body shriek with pleasure.

By the time his brain had time to catch up with his body, his cock was spilling in wild spurts, painting their skin in dribbles. Somehow, he’d managed to pull Bucky back into a kiss, nipping and biting as he ground back against his lap. It only took Steve a brief moment to realize Bucky was coming, his hips stuttering violently before he stilled over him with a moan in the back of his throat. Steve blinked, panting through his nose as he looked up at his boyfriend to see his blissed expression. He could feel the strange new sensation, the wetness and slick of his release coating inside him.

It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever felt in his life.

Without a word, both men collapsed against the bedding, Bucky pillowed on Steve’s chest as they fought to catch their breaths. Steve could feel the brunet pressing the laziest kisses into his skin, and the weak little thrusts from his hips as Bucky stroked himself through the dregs of his orgasm. Steve didn’t complain. It felt too amazing, laying beneath him like this. His legs fell to the side, splayed on either side of his hips as he ran his fingertips up the planes of Bucky’s sweaty back. “Jesus…” he panted in delight.

“Not quite. But you’re close. Name’s Bucky, in case you forgot,” Bucky snickered. He pulled back from Steve’s chest, propping himself up on his elbow to smile down at him. “My baby mama,” he added, tickling his finger over Steve’s chin with a laugh.

“Oh fuck off,” Steve laughed. He swatted at Bucky’s hand for a moment before wrapping his fingers around his wrist. He pulled Bucky’s hand close to his lips, pressing kisses into his palm before he shifted beneath him. “We’re never using condoms again.”

“I second this vote. Does anyone veto this decision?” Bucky looked up at the empty room around them before grinning. “Silent as the grave. I think that’s a law now. No more condoms ever again. I’m more than okay with that.”

“Only downside,” Steve added. He shifted, feeling the wetness inside him shifting. He grimaced a little at the sensation, and groaned when he felt what little had dribbled out of him, cooling on the back of his thigh. “S’really messy.”

“Yeah, I think yer gonna need a good clean up after this,” Bucky added. He withdrew the rest of the way from his hole, flopping to the bedding to stare up at the ceiling above them. “I better get a washcloth and new sheets. I don’ feel like sleepin’ in a wetspot tonight.”

Steve nodded, sitting up. That turned out to be a mistake, and he yelped in surprise, throwing one leg over the other and covering his face. “Oh Christ. Little help here?” he asked through giggles. “I’m kinda… kinda leaking here.”

“Just sit up, I gotta wash the sheet anyway!” Bucky laughed. He clambered from the bed and made a quick beeline for the bathroom. He strutted happily, showing off his nude, sticky figure to Steve as he returned a moment later, holding a damp cloth in his hand and a towel in the other. “You ordered a clean-up, sir? I’d be happy to service you.”

“You’re a bastard,” Steve said affectionately. He stood up slowly, feeling the wetness running down the back of his leg. He took the offered washcloth from Bucky, gratefully cleaning up before he could make even more of a mess. At least he had no reason to be embarrassed. Bucky would never make fun of him for something like that.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to clean up. Once Bucky had a fresh set of sheets on the bed, and Steve had effectively cleaned up the leak, the two men collapsed back into the bed, completely naked and tangled up in each other once again.

Steve adored this. Adored the feeling of Bucky in his arms, their legs entwined, heartbeats synching up. He pressed his face into Buck’s shoulder, practically dragging the other on top of him in a human blanket. He adored the way Bucky’s fingers traced up and down his spine, painting nonsense patters in invisible ink against his warm flesh. He loved listening to his heartbeat, and the way Bucky breathed, just slightly through his nose with the tiniest squeak.

He loved everything about this man. He loved Bucky more than anything he’d ever loved in his life. And Bucky loved him in return; it was more than Steve had ever dreamed of.

“I gotta ask,” Steve murmured. He looked up at Bucky, balancing his chin on his shoulder. “You said Jake was your first partner. First guy you had sex with. Did he teach you everything you know about sex, because if he did, I need to personally shake this man’s hand.”

Bucky snorted. Looking down at Steve, he nodded a little. “Yeah. Well, not everything, but a lot of it. A lot I picked up on my own, I’ll have you know. I mean, honestly, Stevie have a little more faith in me.”

“I do!” Steve laughed. He ran his fingers up and down his chest, feeling the smoothness of his skin and the muscles bunching beneath his touch. “Just – just was wondering, really. I mean, I hope I’m as good a partner as he was, at least.”

“More than good. Yer damn brilliant,” Bucky said. His smile fell a little as he stared at the far wall. A wistful look crossed his face and he pressed his lips to Steve’s shoulder in thought.

Steve watched him for a moment, taken aback by his sudden silence. Sitting up, he watched him for a moment. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Bucky murmured. “Just thinkin’… I got a real thing for tall blonds with blue eyes I guess.”

“S’that what Jake had?” Steve asked. He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and lay back down. With that, the two of them cuddled front to front, their foreheads brushing just slightly. “Blond hair and blue eyes?”

“Yeah… yeah, he did. Weirdly enough, all of my boyfriends have had that.” Bucky looked up at steve, and brushed his fingers through his hair with a loving smile. “But they didn’t wear it as good as you.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Steve chuckled. “How many have you had?” Steve held a hand up when Bucky gave him a confused look, and he laughed. “I’m not getting jealous, I’m just curious.”

Bucky relaxed a little, and rested his head on the pillow. He looked up into Steve’s eyes, hesitating for a long moment before he sighed. “Three. Just three. Jake, one other guy, and you. But uhm… I ain’t like, keepin’ tabs or nothin’. Yer end game for me, punk. Don’t think I’m gonna get rid of you so easy. I’m like a parasite. You can’t shake me.”

“Good to know,” Steve replied with a scrunch of his nose. He broke into a laugh at the suggestive wiggle of Bucky’s eyebrow and he leaned in, pressing a kiss to Bucky’s lips as he held him close. “I love you, Bucky.”

Bucky looked up at him. His eyes softened further and he broke into a happy, relieved smile. “I love you too, Stevie. More than anythin’. I love you so fuckin’ much.”

Steve smiled. He held Bucky close as the two of them settled into each other, wrapped up totally in their arms. It didn’t take long for Bucky to slip quietly into sleep, his breathing slow and even as he lay with his cheek pressed to Steve’s shoulder.

Steve, on the other hand, didn’t fall asleep. For a time, he simply lay with Bucky, brushing his fingers up and down his inked arm in soothing strokes. He didn’t move for the longest time, watching the love of his life slumber happily.

It gave him plenty of time to think about his mistake.

He never got to tell Bucky about Sharon. In the heat of their discussion, the passion overtaking them, and finally exhaustion taking Bucky away from him, Steve had totally missed his opportunities to finally come clean to him about his past. He should have woken him up and told him.

But that would have been too cruel.

Slumping into the bedding, Steve stared up at the ceiling; a touch of melancholy and guilt overtook him and drowned out his earlier jubilation. This was entirely his fault. He shouldn’t have allowed the two of them to go through with this before he admitted his secret. A secret he kept burying deeper and deeper under layers of comfort and ignorance.

No. He’d admitted he loved Bucky. Now he had to prove his love to him by admitting the hardest thing he’d ever had to confess in his whole life. Turning to his boyfriend, Steve allowed his eyes to adjust to the faint light around them. The way the closet light cast the faintest beam across the bedding illuminated half of Bucky’s face, making him look angelic where he lay. Too innocent. Too happy.

_‘Shit… I can’t do that to him. Not now…’_

Defeated, Steve curled back up around Bucky’s shoulders. He dropped the faintest kisses into his skin before finally closing his eyes to allow himself to drift off into slumber.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d tell him for sure. There was no other way to put it. Let Bucky have his happy dreams that night. Tomorrow, Steve would stand up to his crime and face Bucky once and for all. He just needed this one last, blissfully ignorant night to hold onto.

He just hoped his confession went as well as he prayed it would.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The upcoming chapters 11 and 12 will be written together and posted within a week of each other. You'll thank me later for that. For now, that just means it'll take me a smidgen longer to write them both than it usually would to write one chapter. ;)


	11. Shattered Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve come face to face with Steve's mistake. The reaction is exactly what you'd expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting chapter 12 tonight after I finish editing it. So your resolution is coming soon! Just bear with me and please don't kill me! I have the fix I swear!

**3 Years Ago**

Straightening out the hem of his jacket, Bucky examined himself in the hallway mirror with careful precision. He had to look good. No doubt about it, he _had_ to look his best for where he was going that evening. After some careful fussing and straightening/re-straightening his jacket for the umpteenth time, Bucky leaned back and really took a good look at himself in the mirror.

Stylish? No. Urban? Nope. Teenage boy trying to look like an adult? Spot on.

Frustrated, he groaned to himself, scrubbing is fingers through his scruffy hair in protest. He’d been letting his grow out over the past few weeks, and now he was just at that awkward stage where nothing he did with it looked good. He had _wanted_ to grow his hair out, but for this occasion? He really should have gotten it cut… “Dammit!”

“What? What’re you bitchin’ about?” Brock’s voice cut in. Poking his head into the hallway from the kitchen, he gave Bucky a narrow eyed look before scoffing and rolling his eyes. “Oh for Christ’s sake, Buck. You look fine. Why the hell’re you fussin’ so bad about this? Alex never gave a crap about what you looked like before.”

Bucky looked up at Brock, his eyes wide in dismay before he shook his head. “Hell, naw! I _gotta_ look good, he got us dinner reservations for The River Café, man! I’m afraid I’m gonna look like a little kid, walking in there like this! I got every right to bitch, now.”

Brock blinked, uttering a low whistle before shaking his head. “Holy fuck. The River Café? Uhmm… you sure you don’t need a full suit fer that occasion then?”

Bucky grimaced, looking back at himself in the mirror. He didn’t own a suit. Fuck knows, he couldn’t afford one, even though he’d been tossing around the idea of using up his month’s grocery allotment to go buy one.

It had been an illogical argument he’d had with himself for weeks as his date that night loomed closer and closer. He could barely afford to keep himself fed and his car gassed up, but he had been willing to use up his entire paycheck for a suit he’d only wear once? It was absurd!

Finally, after long deliberation, Buck had finally given up on the idea of buying a suit and decided feeding himself for a month was more important than clothing. How he regretted that decision now.

Luckily, upon voicing his concern over the phone to him, Alex had reassured him he didn’t need to go through the trouble, and to ‘just wear what he usually wore’ for dinner that night. With that comfort in mind, Bucky had attempted to split the difference, picking out his best shirt and borrowing a suit jacket from Brock to try and dress it up. He didn’t have any nice pants and his legs were just slightly too short to borrow Brock’s, so he’d had to resort to wearing his least ratty pair of jeans he owned to go with the outfit.

As for his shoes, well... that had been a catastrophe on its own. Bucky didn’t own a pair of dress shoes for much the same reason he didn’t own a suit. Left with nothing else to do, he’d tried every single one of Brock’s nicer shoes only to find he couldn’t fit into any of them either. So bright red converse -the only ones without torn soles and dingy tips- became his footwear of choice for the evening.

Sighing in defeat, Bucky turned back to Brock, crossing his arms over his chest. “I think this is about as good as I’m gonna look. I’m gonna be out the rest of my paycheck for the month just payin’ for dinner tonight anyway. We’re goin’ Dutch this time, which I don’ blame him one bit.”

“Grocery money, and tattoo money,” Brock reminded him. Pointing at Bucky’s arm, he flicked the fork he was holding in an upward gesture. “Lemme see. How far’d ya get the last time?”

“Jus’ a half sleeve. I don’ think I’m ready to go fer a full sleeve yet,” Bucky said. He shrugged out of his borrowed jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to show Brock the half sleeved “metal” inked into his upper arm. “’sides, I already got yelled at, at work fer havin’ my piercings in. I don’t wanna have my whole arm covered and then have t’keep my uniform sleeves rolled down all the time jus’ to hide it, ya know?”

Brock nodded. He leaned his hip against the doorframe, looking his friend over with a half-smile. “Well… if it’s any comfort, I think ya look fine, kid. Y’know, that whole “look he fell in love with” kinda deal, ya know? I think it’s fittin’ for yer anniversary.”

Bucky smiled. Looking over at Brock, he felt his cheeks flushing red, before he cleared his throat. “Yeah, I think so too. I think this is it, Brock. This is the guy. Christ, I ain’t never been so stupid happy in a long time, ya know?” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the door to regard his friend carefully. “I ain’t gotta clue how I got so lucky.”

Brock snorted. “Luck was me handin’ you his file at that garage, ya dumbass. I figured you jus’ wanted yer chance t’work on a Porsche for th’first time, not pick up a boyfriend,” Brock said. He winked at him before stepping away from the doorframe and back into the kitchen. “Alright get the fuck outta here. I got chicken cacciatore to cook and you got a dinner reservation to make. Get outta my apartment!”

“You can’t kick me out, I live here too!’ Bucky protested, grinning at the older man.

“Only until y’get yer own apartment. Don’t think I ain’t countin’ down the days until yer outta my hair.”

Bucky snickered, watching his friend wave him off. He knew Brock was only joking with him. He’d been living with him for five solid months at that point, and had never once gotten any complaints from the other man about him taking the spare bedroom. Bucky did his best to help pay for rent and groceries, though Brock never made him feel bad if he had to skip out on a week’s worth of food because of his paychecks. Bucky really considered himself the luckiest guy in the world. Amazing friends, a kick-ass roommate and a wonderful boyfriend.

Aside from the whole ‘money’ issue, Bucky really felt like he had it made.

With a skip in his step and a smile plastered on his face, Bucky jogged down the sidewalk, hitching a bus for Water Street. He hummed happily, earbuds screwed into his ears as he listened to his playlist with a growing enthusiasm.

It had been awhile since he and Alex had gone out together. Usually the two of them just spent their dates at Alex’s apartment in Manhattan, and even those had been growing fewer and farther between. It was just incredibly to realize how very little the two of them got to spend time together. There was a reason Alex drove a Porsche; he was an incredibly wealthy businessman that spent quite a lot of his time traveling the country for work. So Bucky had learned very quickly, to appreciate the times he did get with Alex to the fullest.

And appreciate them he did; it wasn’t hard to do when Alex made up for lost time with his boyfriend by screwing his brains out whenever he got the chance.

Bucky’s smile fell a little as he thought about Alex. After a whole year, he still didn’t understand why Alex had chosen him to be his boyfriend. Alex was everything Bucky wasn’t: highly successful and incredibly wealthy, even though he was only 5 years Bucky’s senior. He was a homeowner, a car owner, incredibly rich; Bucky even thought Alex was better looking than him. He had this old-time Hollywood beauty about him that reminded him a lot of Cary Grant or James Mason.

Bucky, well... he was the exact opposite of all of that.

Thrown out of his home with nothing to his name, Bucky had barely made ends meet for almost ten years of his life. He had a shit job, no status and had rented a studio apartment for only six months before he got evicted for being unable to pay his rent. Bucky was a pierced up, tatted grease monkey, and poor as dirt, but somehow he’d manage to snag one of the wealthier denizens of Manhattan without even trying. A few flirtations as he fixed up Alex’s car, and he’d ended up with the guy’s number in his phone and plans for dinner that weekend.

1 year later, the two of them were still together, though Bucky hadn’t seen much of Alex over the past few months. He’d been traveling a lot for work and simply didn’t have the time to stop back in New York to see his boyfriend. It was okay, Bucky knew how important work was. It just made their anniversary dinner that much more exciting and worthwhile for the younger man.

Snapping back to the present, Bucky mentally planned how their evening would go: Dinner together, a walk on the waterfront, maybe drinks. Then, like always, the two of them would go back to Alex’s apartment across the bridge to spend the rest of the evening together. It’d be a hell of an expensive venture, but he had absolutely no qualms about spending the last of his paycheck on their date. He had to make it memorable. Who knew when the next time he’d get to spend a whole evening with him would be?

With a grin on his face, Bucky vacated the bus at his stop and jogged the rest of the way towards his destination. He tucked his phone into his pocket with his earbuds and smoothed out the jacket on his shoulders. Straightening his posture as much as he could, Bucky marched right up to the restaurant and waited patiently for the hostess to come and greet him.

“Hey there. We gotta reservation fer Pierce and Barnes tonight?” he said, beaming at the woman proudly when she approached him.

The woman blinked, looking Bucky over for a moment. She hesitated, as if she were trying to make out if he were joking or not, before offering him a smile. It was a cracked smile, nothing more than a sour twist of her lips, but a smile all the same. “Of course sir. Right this way. You are seated at one of our waterfront tables tonight.”

Bucky whistled, smiling brightly as he followed her into the restaurant. All around him, men in suits dotted the establishment, with the occasional civilian staring at the high prices of the menu with confusion and disbelief. Bucky didn’t need to look at the menu to know what kind of beating his wallet was going to take. He’d done his research; he sort of cried over the pricing once already.

Taking a seat at the table selected for them, Bucky smiled up at the hostess before taking a menu from her to choose his meal carefully. When the woman offered to take his jacket from him, Bucky immediately turned down the offer, hoping she wouldn’t press the matter. When she accepted his refusal and left the table, Bucky slumped in relief; he secretly thanked God above that they had been given a window table. It was a lot hotter that evening than he’d anticipated, but he wasn’t uncomfortable enough to risk exposing his t-shirt or his tattoo to the swank restaurant around him; he was already getting enough looks from the other patrons as it was.

Shortly after the Hostess left the table, their waiter approached with the wine menu at his side. Bucky took it and looked it over before quickly ordering a bottle of Pinot Noir for the two of them and the Royal White ‘Transmontanus’ Sturgeon caviar. Alex would appreciate the caviar, he was sure of it.

Bucky watched as the waiter departed, only to bring the red wine back to the table, uncorked and ready to be poured. Normally a beer drinker, he’d learned to appreciate red wines with Alex. He’d learned to appreciate a lot of the finer things in life, and strive to want to be a better man. In just a year, Bucky had learned what it was like to go to proper wine tastings, how to pick a well-tailored suit, and even how to order the more expensive drinks and dishes with the proper pronunciations and inflections. It might not have seemed like much, but in all honesty, Alex had been the best thing that had ever happened to Bucky

Pouring himself a glass of wine from the bottle the waiter brought him, Bucky quietly spent his alone time sipping his wine carefully as he waited for Alex to arrive. Bucky watched the water of the river before he glanced up at the Brooklyn Bridge. He slouched back a little in his seat as he admired the twinkling lights cascading over the ripples of the river like gems, enjoying the atmosphere of the place.

It was truly wonderful; all warmth and glow, candles and quite chatter, underlain with the gentle lull of music playing quietly in the background. Alex really couldn’t have picked a better place to spend their 1 year anniversary together. It just all seemed so romantic. Maybe, if Bucky was lucky… maybe he could even tell Alex how much he really cared for him. How much he loved him.

Bucky was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t hear footsteps approaching him from behind. When a hand fell on his shoulder, he looked up, only to beam brightly at the sight of the man standing behind him. “Alex!” he exclaimed happily. He got up from his seat and immediately pulled his boyfriend into a tight hug. “I missed ya, babe! How was Seattle? Did you have a safe flight in?”

In his arms, Alex hugged him back, though the action was a little stiff. Bucky couldn’t blame him; the poor guy had just spent 5 hours on an airplane. He was bound to be tired and uncomfortable. “James, it’s a pleasure to see you.” Alex leaned back, looking down at Bucky’s figure for a moment. An unreadable expression crossed his features and he glanced up at Bucky with a lopsided smirk. “Looking _just_ as I expected you would on such a special occasion,” he said casually.

Bucky smiled. “Yeah, I hadta borrow Brock’s jacket, so no red sauces for dinner tonight,” he chuckled. Pulling out Alex’s seat for him, Bucky smiled down at him before darting over and taking his own seat. “I got you yer favorite wine. And yer caviar. It’s pretty good, actually, the waiter said it’s a good choice if you don’ know which one ya want, so I figured you might wanna try it out!”

Alex didn’t answer him at first. He folded his hands on the table in front of him, listening to Bucky chatter away for a long moment. After a time, he looked away from the younger man, glancing to the front door of the restaurant, as if looking for the hostess. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, before finally turning his attention back on Bucky. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

Bucky smirked. Shaking his head at him, he reached across the table and threaded their fingers together. “Man you really gotta be tired tonight. I’m sorry, baby. If ya want we can go over to yer place after we’re done here and just chill for the rest of th’night. I ain’t got nothin’ goin’ on tomorrow at all so I can stay up as late as I wanna.”

Alex listened, inhaling slowly. “Mmm. I see you’ve been spending your time with Merriam-Webster while I was away,” he clipped, glancing up at Bucky. This time, his smile dropped away from his lips entirely and he let go of Bucky’s hand, setting his own in his lap as if he didn’t want to touch the table.

Bucky blinked. Looking down between them, he stared at his hand where it lay alone on the table, and his skin tingled with the lack of contact. He physically felt Alex’s dissatisfaction with touching him at that moment, and the jab at his vocabulary didn’t go unnoticed. Fighting to keep the smile on his face, he look up at Alex, offering up a weak laugh. “Ehe… uhm, what? I’m sorry, I-“ he swallowed a little, pulling his own hand tentatively from the table. “Alex, uh, you feelin’ alright? Maybe we shoulda rescheduled this dinner fer another time. I don’ mind havin’ our anniversary dinner on a different night, ya know. If yer tired babe… we can go if ya want.”

Alex sighed; it was a weathered, irritated sigh and he leaned his elbow against the table to pinch the bridge of his nose. “James… this isn’t an anniversary dinner.”

Bucky blinked again. Now he just felt totally lost and confused, and he looked around the room for a moment, expecting someone to jump out and yell “psych!’. “Uhm… did I get my days wrong? Ain’t this the 15th?”

A voice cut into the conversation, this time decidedly female and none too amused. “No, you’re perfectly right. This is the 15th. At least you know your calendars well enough. That must count for something.”

Bucky startled. He tore his gaze away from Alex to look up, only to spot a tall woman standing next to him. This woman was thin and haunting looking, sporting a bright yellow updo and deep crimson painted lips. She was frighteningly beautiful to behold, and her curvy figure was wrapped up in an elegant looking dress that stopped just above the knee. She had stiletto heels on and in her hands she clutched a Lana Marks handbag in her ruthlessly dark acrylic nails. “Uhm…” he said intelligently. Confused, he glanced back at Alex before meeting her gaze again. “I’m sorry, but uh, can I help ya?” he asked. “We’re kinda in the middle of a conversation, here.”

Alex sighed again. “Actually, James… she’s part of this conversation.” To Bucky’s surprise, Alex got to his feet and stepped up to the woman at the table. “Darling,” he murmured under his breath. Wrapping his arm around her thin waist, he pulled her close to his side before pressing a kiss to her lips. “I take it traffic was horrible as usual?”

“Ugh, _awful_ , Alex. I had to park in the back of the lot. You’d think they’d have a valet boy on hand at all times, but I suppose it’s not hard to believe they would be lax on something like that.” The woman sniffed, before glancing down at Bucky with total disdain. “I take it this is _the boy_ , yes?”

“Yes, Dear… this is James.”

Bucky stared at them, completely dumbfounded by what he was watching. Eyes darting between the two of them, Bucky felt his stomach clutch up in growing apprehension. No. No this couldn’t possibly be what he thought it was. That shit didn’t happen in real life. It didn’t! “Uhm… Alex. Babe… what th’hell is goin’ on here?” he asked, nervously twisting the napkin in his hands to ward off his anxiety.

Alex looked down at Bucky; his expression never changed from that bored sort of disinterest in the whole thing, and he huffed. “Charlotte,” he paused, gesturing between her and Bucky. ”Charlotte, this is James, the uhm… the boyfriend. James, this is Charlotte. My wife.”

Wife. The word echoed in Bucky’s head like a gong, making every nerve in his body shut down entirely. He stared at the two of them in disbelief, his stomach knotted up so tightly he thought it would burst out of his chest like a spring coiled too tightly. Clutching at the edge of the table, he tore his gaze from Charlotte to stare at Alex in shock. “Wait… yer _wife_!? _Yer fuckin’ married_?! How the fuck long have you been married, Alex?!”

Charlotte sniffed, shaking her head at him. “Look at that; he’s got a mouth to match that trashy exterior of his. Seriously, Alex, if you had to pick up a play thing, why couldn’t you choose someone with a lot more class than this dimwit?”

“Whoa, hold the hell up, lady! Who’re you callin’ a dimwit!?” Bucky snarled. Springing to his feet, he looked between the two of them for a moment before the reality kicked in fully. And kick in it did; the weight of realization crushed down around Bucky so hard, he actually felt his knees buckle under the sheer realization.

Alex was married. He’d been married for who only knew how long, and he’d been the side partner, the boy toy this whole time. Worst of all, Bucky had been so smitten by Alex, he had no idea that this was even going on.

Well fuck, maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought...

“Look, James,” Alex murmured in false reassurance. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but… please. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be-“

“ _Me?!”_ Bucky blurted out. Throwing his hand out, he knocked Alex’s fingers away from his shoulder where they had landed a moment ago, and stepped back from the two of them. He didn’t care what kind of looks he was getting from the crowd around them now. All he cared about was getting answers. “No. I’m not the one that’s makin’ this fuckin’ hard!  You made… you lined up a dinner date with me _jus’_ t’tell me yer Goddamn married?! What the _fuck,_ Alex! How the hell long have you been married? And how long has she knows about us?!”

Charlotte laughed. Throwing her head back to expose the creamy column of her throat, she cast Bucky a dark look. “Oh please. Don’t act like you have the right to be angry, James. I’ve known about you two for six months now, and you don’t see me coming down on you like I ought to in front of all these nice people. Alex and I have been married for 5 years, happily mind you, before you came along and decided to test your rugged, low-class personality on someone way above your paygrade. How arrogant of you to think you have the right to be angry, when you’re the one that’s to blame for all of this?”

Bucky stared at her, feeling like all the air had been punched from his gut. He couldn’t talk to her. Christ, he couldn’t even _breathe_ in her direction, without wanting to claw her fucking eyes out and shove them down her lipstick coated gullet. Tearing his gaze from her, he turned back to Alex, offering up the most wounded look he could manage. “Alex… look at me. Tell me what the fuck is goin’ on. How…-“ he stopped swallowing around the lump in his throat. He wouldn’t cry. Not in front of this fucking bitch, and certainly not in front of Alex. “Why the fuck didn’ you tell me you were married? Why the hell did you do this to me?”

“My God,” Alex breathed. Stepping away from Charlotte’s side, he approached Bucky. Placing his hands on his cheeks, he cupped the younger man’s face in his hands, offering him his saddest look.

For a brief moment, Bucky thought the nightmare was over. It was an irrational thought, but he clung to it like his soul depended on it. But maybe… just maybe, Alex was going to apologize to him and tell him he was leaving his wife for him. Maybe that’s why she was so angry with him. Bucky stared up at Alex, his watery gaze both hopeful and scorned by the lies, the infidelity, and the _embarrassment_ of being played like this.

But he held out hope. Maybe Alex would choose him. He’d given him a year of his life, sex and every ounce of will he could pour into being the best boyfriend he could be to Alex. Maybe, even if he didn’t have money to support himself or his own place… maybe that would be enough for Alex.

Alex inhaled, and Bucky held his breath. “Oh James,” Alex sighed. Looking down at the brunet, he smiled, shaking his head. “You’re a pathetic human being.”

“Wh-… what?” Bucky croaked. He felt a tear escape him, running down his cheek to balance precariously on the edge of his jaw, though he felt no urge to reach up and swipe it away. He couldn’t feel anything now. Not after this.

Alex tisked, removing his hands from his cheeks. “You’re a sad little man, James. You really should be grateful I gave you this much time, as it is. But that doesn’t seem to be enough for you. No, the first thing you think about is ‘how could I do this to you’? The answer is really simple: you were different, exciting and new. Something I could slake some of my frustrations out on and experiment on with sexual activities Charlotte wouldn’t dare let me try out on her. But other than the sex, you’re worthless both as a person and a partner, James. You currently live with your co-worker because you can’t hold down an apartment. You fix cars for a living and barely make ends meet. You’re hardly a catch, James, and your appearance leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe if you had some money to your name, I would have considered keeping you around longer, maybe not told my wife about you willingly on _our_ anniversary, simply because it was something to talk about. Maybe if you actually meant something to this world, things would have turned out differently.”

Alex stepped back, offering him a wink as he wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist. “But you don’t, James. And that’s when I decided, I’d rather keep my marriage together, than stay with you any longer. I’m sorry I dragged you into this, I truly am. But it’s time to cut the dead weight and move on with my life, James. And I suggest you do the same, although,” Alex snorted. “I can’t quite say it’s really much of a life at all.”

Charlotte smirked, threading her fingers into Alex’s for a moment. “In other words, James: You’ll be footing the bill for whatever has been ordered tonight. I must take my husband home with me now. I do hope you have a safe trip to wherever you’re couch surfing for the night. Godspeed in your endeavors. You’re going to need all the luck you can get.”

And that was that. Without another word, Alex turned and tugged his wife along to the entrance of the restaurant, never once looking back at Bucky as the two of them left him behind at the table. No other words. No parting quips. Not even a proper break up. Just… gone.

Bucky felt like he’d been pulled through a wringer. Every cell in his body was screaming in agony, _God_ he could barely even breathe. As he watched the two of them leave the restaurant, he lifted his voice, shouting almost hysterically across the room at them. “THAT’S IT?! YA AIN’T EVEN GOT TH’GUTS TO TELL ME ONE ON ONE, ALEX!! YA GOTTA HAVE YER GODDAMN WIFE TELL ME WE’RE DONE FOR YA?! IS THAT IT?! FUCK YOU!!! FUCK YOU AND EVERYTHIN’ YOU FUCKING LIVE FOR!!”

But there would be no response from Alex. Without even looking back at him, Alex and Charlotte left the restaurant together, leaving behind a deathly silent establishment, and Bucky standing at the table with tears running down his face. The door closed behind them, shutting off the second biggest chapter in Bucky’s life for good without even so much as a promise for better days.

Choking on a sob, Bucky stumbled backwards, his hip bumping loudly into the table. The noise of cutlery rattling together jarred him enough from his misery that he finally took notice of the restaurant around him. Waiters, manager, guests, even the busboys were all staring at him, mouths agape as if they had no idea what to do with what had just transpired.

Bucky fucking hated the lot of them.

“Th’fuck are you all lookin’ at?!” he snapped, wiping furiously at his eyes. He sniffed audibly, ducking his head from them all as he fished out his wallet. From inside, he grabbed the last of his money and threw it down on the table, uncaring if the bills fluttered to the floor or not. “Yeah, fuck you all. Go back t’eating yer fuckin’ caviar and drinkin’ yer hundred dollar bottles of wine and leave us poor fucking schmucks outta yer world!” he shouted. Plucking up the bottle of wine from the table, he stormed for the front of the restaurant, and right past the hostess that had been giving him dirty looks earlier in the evening. “I’m fuckin’ done.”

With that, Bucky marched right out, wine clutched in his fist as he walked away from the restaurant and all it’s rich, upper crust fucking patrons inside. Only when he was a safe distance away, did he allow himself to finally break down. Collapsing to the curb of the nearby street, Bucky tucked his knees to his chest and buried his face to sob openly into the fold of his arms.

Alex was gone. The guy he’d cared about more than anything in this world, had just taken his heart right out of his body and crushed it in front of his eyes without a care in the world. Christ, he even looked like he had _enjoyed_ tormenting Bucky like that.

It was unfair. The guy Bucky had spent an entire year crazy in love with, had just thrown him away like he meant nothing. Hell, Bucky hadn’t meant anything to Alex from the beginning! He had just been someone to fuck and do whatever kinky shit he wanted to do with him, while Alex had his wife back at home, waiting for him to return to her. Bucky hadn’t meant jack shit to Alex, and all because he was poor and different than the “acceptable” class of people that Alex associated with. Bucky had never felt more violated and wronged in his whole life.

Taking two heavy slugs from the bottle in his hands, Bucky pulled his phone out. He looked up Brock’s number through the haze of his tears, and dialed him up, hiccupping loudly as he tried to hold back his tears for a moment.

The line rang twice, before finally connecting to the sound of Brock’s amused laugh. _“Christ, kid, this better be good. Yer interruptin’ the halftime dancers.”_

Bucky inhaled, hoping to steady his voice before he spoke; all he succeeded in doing was uttering a broken wail as he clapped his hand over his mouth in his grief. “B-Brock can you... can you come pick me up?” he asked through a heavy sniffle.

Brock’s voice stilled on the phone for a moment before leveling with the determination of a worried parent. _“Where are you? What th’hell happened, I thought you had yer bus fare on you.”_

Bucky whimpered. He buried his face in his arms and tried his best to speak through the tears. “I’m by the river down th’block from the restaurant. H-had to… to pay fer the food and the wine by myself. Alex, he-“ Bucky whined, choking on another sob. “He’s fuckin’ married, Brock! He’s been married th’whole time we were together!”

 _“Oh fuckin’ Christ,”_ Brock breathed into the line. In the distance, the sound of keys being plucked up echoed and jingled over the line. _“’Kay, I’ll be right there, don’ you fuckin’ move okay? I mean it, Buck. Don’t. Move.”_

Bucky didn’t answer him; he simply offered a choked hiccup in response to his statement before hanging up and stuffing his phone back into his pocket. He made good use of his time waiting for Brock to come find him by polishing off the remainder of the bottle of wine in his hands and throwing the empty bottle towards the rocky banks of the river. He listened to the glass shatter, and he found it strangely akin to the feeling of his stupid heart breaking in his stupid chest. He let out a sob, burying his face in his hands as he tried his best to regain his composure.

Whatever little composure he managed to scrounge up, instantly shattered the minute he felt a comforting arm on his shoulders. Crumbling into Brock’s grip, Bucky wailed into his palms as he allowed the older man to hold him close and offer up comforting words to his pain. He’d never felt this level of heartbreak before in his life. Even when his family had thrown him out and abandoned him, Bucky hadn’t felt this much agony in his heart. Now he just felt like he could die right there, shatter into a thousand pieces and never be put back together as a whole human being again.

He didn’t speak for the remainder of the evening; simply allowing Brock to help him to his feet and take him to the car, Bucky stumbled over the rocks and the uneven terrain as he leaned into Brocks’ broad side for support. He wasn’t even drunk; the bottle he’d drunk had only been large enough to get him somewhat tipsy. Now he just had a headache and a stomach ache to go with his grief.

Exhausted and bleary eyed, Bucky allowed Brock to drive him home and drag him up to the apartment once again. He didn’t even react when he found Clint and Natasha already there; it turned out Brock had called them both on his way to go pick up Bucky to tell them the news and the both of them had instantly dropped what they were doing to go see to him.

Bucky tried his best to allow his friends their moment to comfort him, though it did him little good in the end. He allowed Natasha to fawn over him like a worried mother while she brushed his hair with her fingers. He allowed Clint to try his best to cheer him up with jokes and shoulder massages. He allowed Brock to try and reassure him that he’d make sure the bastard paid for breaking his heart like that while he let Bucky rest his sneaker covered feet in his lap.

It wasn’t that Bucky didn’t appreciate their efforts. He really did. It was just that he didn’t want any of that sort of coddling yet. All he wanted was to sleep, cry and sleep again. He really didn’t feel like he even had the emotional or physical capacity to do anything else.

It wasn’t like their efforts were really doing him a fuck lot of good anyway. So without a word, Bucky hoisted himself to his feet and abandoned the three of them to slump his way into his bedroom. With a heavy heart, Bucky kicked the door shut and buried himself in his blankets -still fully clothed- where he broke down and sobbed through his grief once again, out of sight of anyone else watching him.

He didn’t moved from that spot for three days.

* * *

**Present day**

“Oh for Christ’s sake Barnes!” Brock sighed, throwing his hands up. “Get outta my friggin’ work space before I clock ya!”

Bucky grinned, flicking the dirty towel at Brock before leaning back. “But whyyy you’re the only guy I can talk to right now! Clint’s busy and Nat’s on lunch!”

“Yer ass ain’t even supposed t’be here right now!” Brock said, pointing at him. “Yer shift was done 20 minutes ago, ya creep. Why’re you hangin’ around here anyway?”

Bucky shrugged. He leaned back, lounging against the counter to watch Brock work on the truck at his disposal. “Gotta wait another ten minutes. My _boyfriend_ don’t get offa work until then,” he said, emphasizing his statement with a grin and a poorly concealed giggle.

Brock sighed. Rubbing his hand down the side of his face, he looked up at him to offer an exasperated smile. “’Bout fuckin’ time you two actually jumped on the good foot. When did ya two decide to finally call it official?”

Bucky grinned. “This weekend. I’m tellin’ ya, Brock. I ain’t been this happy in forever. He’s fuckin’ perfect in every way.”

“Mmm, I’ve heard that somewhere before,” Brock said. Looking back at him, he leveled Bucky with a knowing look before pointing. “Remember what I said. He pulls some shit on you and I break his pretty face. Ain’t no one gonna pull what Pierce did to ya again. You hear me?”

“Oh please! Steve ain’t gonna do that to me!” Bucky said confidently. He quickly pushed the thoughts of Alex from his mind and instead focused on counting down the seconds until he could go see Steve. Steve was nothing like Alex. First off, Bucky got to see Steve every single day, and Steve hadn’t gotten tired of him once. Steve was caring and sweet and down to earth. Steve didn’t make Bucky feel like shit for being who he was.

He and Steve had told each other they loved each other that very weekend. Alex hadn’t even uttered those words to Bucky once in the year they were together.

There was _no way_ to compare the two of them.

“Well if yer so sure, I’ll take yer word on it,” Brock said. He walked around the counter to Bucky’s side, and pulled him into a hug. “I believe ya. You two are so obviously in love, it makes me wanna puke.”

“Yer so nice,” Bucky said, making a face at him.

Brock laughed, throwing his head back as he gripped the younger man’s shoulders. “Gotta show ya how much I love ya, kid,” Brock said affectionately. With that, he gripped the other’s shoulders and steered him towards the front of the garage. “Now get the fuck outta here and go make eyes at yer boy. I got shit I gotta do before Clint comes back out here and yells at me.”

Bucky smirked and saluted his friend. Stepping away from his side he turned for the mouth of the garage and jogged out to the street, where he ducked his head from the bright rays of sunshine high above. He was grateful he’d changed out of his uniform already, though he was sure he probably still needed a shower. It had been a scorcher that day, and he was certain he probably really didn’t look all that good. Still, he was grateful not to be in his uniform anymore. At least he could look semi-decent for his lover when he picked him up.

Strutting across the street, Bucky looked up in time to see Steve walking towards the front of the shop, looking down at his phone. Smirking to himself, Bucky slipped to the side of the door, holding his breath. Steve was clueless of his presence as he opened the door of the shop and stepped out right next to him. Without saying a word, Bucky slipped right behind Steve and wrapped his arms around his waist, tugging the slightly taller man into his chest with a laugh.

Steve yelped at the attack, his arms thrown out for balance as he looked back at Bucky in shock. “Buck!” he exclaimed with a huge smile on his lips. “ _Jesus_ , Buck, don’t scare a guy like that!”

Bucky grinned, twisting his boyfriend around in his arms. Looking up at him, Bucky beamed and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. “You were so engrossed in yer phone, I thought I better teach you to watch where yer walkin’ in case somethin’ happens to ya. Figured it musta worked huh?”

“Yeah, you got me. What a noble act,” Steve deadpanned, rolling his eyes. It didn’t stop him from leaning in to Bucky’s arms. Wrapping his fingers up in the back of Bucky’s hair, Steve pulled him close, kissing him for all he was worth as he nosed at Bucky’s sweaty cheek with a chuckle. “You stink,” he said, grinning wickedly.

“Yeah, I guess I do stink,” Bucky sighed openly. Leaning back he pushed his hand through his hair and made a face. “Yuck. I really fuckin’ need a bath. It was hot as balls in that garage today!” Letting his bangs fall to the side against his face, Bucky looked up at Steve and offered him a lecherous grin. “Whatdya say? Wanna go take a shower with me? I think you might need t’ get my back all nice and squeaky clean.”

“Somehow, I doubt either of us will actually get clean if we take a shower together,” Steve said with a purr of delight. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and tugging him close to nuzzle his cheek happily. “I mean, not that I’m complaining or anything like that.”

Bucky just smiled back at him; damn, he would never forget why it was he loved Steve so much. Grinning victoriously, he cupped the taller man’s neck in his fingers and pulled him down into a hungry kiss of his own.

But just as he did, he heard the unmistakable sound of retching behind him, and he looked up to see Tony at the door, giving them both horrified looks.

“Guys, seriously. This is an eating establishment, you mind not sickening the on-staff worker while you two mack out on the sidewalk?” Tony asked, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

Bucky grinned, turning in the circle of Steve’s arms to peer at him. “What? We ain’ doin’ nothin’ in the bakery this time.”

“No, but the front of the bakery is entirely glass and I got a front row seat of watching you two stick your tongues down each other’s throats.” Tony sighed. Covering his eyes with his hand, he gestured. “I don’t care what freaky stuff you two do, just don’t give me nightmares okay? I already have enough from our last encounter. I got sensitive delicacies over here you know.”

Steve laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around Bucky’s chest. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We are kinda out in public here. Sorry Tony.”

“Hey don’t be sorry at me. I’m grateful you found someone to be happy with. Just don’t go and get yourself in trouble there. This is kind of _your_ bakery, you know,” he said. Gesturing to the sidewalk, Tony waved his hand in a sweeping motion and smiled. “Get outta here, both of you.”

Bucky smiled, relaxing in Steve’s arms as he nodded to Tony. He and Tony might not have been the best of friends, but he liked him well enough. At least he seemed to respect Steve’s likes and preferences enough, even if he was kind of a dick about it sometimes. And if Steve liked him enough to be a friend with him, then Bucky could certainly like him as well.

With the end of that conversation, Bucky turned back to Steve and extended his hand to him. Taking his fingers in his, Bucky tugged on his wrist as the two of them walked down the sidewalk towards his apartment. “Got any grand plans for the night, babe, or were we stayin’ in tonight? If we’re goin’ out now, you might wanna let me run inside and grab that shower real quick.”

“Yeah we can stop at your place before going out, Buck,” Steve offered. “I really don’t mind. Gives me a chance to say hi to Zima while you’re cleaning up, too.”

“I knew it,” Bucky sighed dramatically. “You only like me fer my dog. You bastard.”

“Hey what can I say? She’s a gorgeous little bugger. Her owner happens to be kinda cute too,” Steve said with a smile. He pressed his lips to Bucky’s temple and lingered for a moment. “Even if he smells like grease.”

“Then get yer nose outta my hair, punk!” Bucky laughed. He shoved Steve’s shoulder before pulling away and jogging for the apartment. “Meet you up there, I’m gonna get a head start!”

With that, Bucky darted the rest of the way down the block and then up the stairs to his apartment. He let himself in and left the door unlocked before instantly jumping into the shower to clean up. It was a record breaking shower as Bucky cleaned and scrubbed, getting the day’s work grime off of himself and shampooing his hair. When he felt like he’d gotten the stink and sweat off of himself adequately, he slipped from the bathroom stark naked, only to be met with the sound of Steve catcalling him from the living room. Posing nude in the hallway, Bucky grinned and threw a kiss over his shoulder towards him before darting into his bedroom. He dressed quickly, pulling on jeans, a tanktop and his favorite red sneakers (they might have been three years old, but they were still comfortable as fuck, thank you very much), before slipping out to the living room.

There he found Steve on the floor, roughhousing with Zima. He took the moment to smile at the both of them, his earlier excitement melting away into contentment. He could really get used to a sight like this. “She thinks yer her other daddy, you know,” Bucky said, his voice soft with admiration. “Every time you come over, she just knows it, and she’s always waitin’ by the door for ya. She even gets disappointed when I answer the door and it’s someone else there.”

Steve looked up, meeting Bucky’s gaze. His smile, previously wide and jovial, melted into an appreciative one. He looked down at the pup in his arms and scrubbed his fingers over her belly lovingly. “Yeah. I really like her too. I think she and Scout are gonna be awesome siblings, you know?”

Bucky nodded. He felt a little choked up at the thought, and he looked away from Steve to gather his composure. The thought of possibly moving in with him was the most enticing thought he’d ever had, and he couldn’t help the flutter of excitement in his chest at the idea. Maybe someday soon, they really could. It was the next logical step in their relationship after all. “Yeah, I think they will too, babe…”

The two of them went silent at that, letting the comfortable moment linger. After a beat, Bucky cleared his throat and stood up from where he was leaned against the wall. “But enough about that. I’m starvin’. Let’s go get some food and hang out at the park. I heard they got a live band playing tonight.”

Steve nodded. Getting to his feet, he bent down and scrubbed his fingers over Zima’s head one more time before straightening himself out. “Sounds good. Street tacos sound like heaven right now.”

“Yeaah, they do. With a shit load of cilantro,” Bucky said, dreamily. His mouth watered at the thought and he stepped up to Steve’s side to wrap his arm around his waist. “Street tacos, live music. What else ya wanna do tonight?”

“Not much, honestly. I just wanna spend the evening with you, that’s all.” Steve said quietly. He leaned into Bucky’s side, turning to press a kiss to his cheek.

However, just as he did, Bucky’s eyes landed on the side of his nose, and his eyes widened in delight. “Hey you got a new ring!” He said. Reaching up, he poked at the little black speck with a smile. “Looks real good on you. When’dya get that one?”

Steve laughed. Following Bucky out of the apartment, the two of them made their way down to the sidewalk, fully intent on making a beeline for the park. “Y’know, I actually got the black one when I got my piercing done. I just never really took out the silver stud because I didn’t feel like a lot of people would like the black one. But I figured you’d appreciate it, so…” he shrugged and beamed down at him. “There you go.”

“Hey, you know me, baby. I think you’d look good with anything. Besides, the black one goes with yer glasses more, anyway.” Bucky replied. He held tightly to Steve’s hand as they walked, his eyes never leaving the other’s face. As they walked, though, Bucky felt a little wiggle of uncertainty in his chest.

Steve had changed the piercing for him. While Bucky really liked the black one, it was a _lot_ more noticeable on his face. He was fairly certain everyone that had gone into the bakery that morning had seen that piercing on his face now, whereas the silver one had blended into his skin with ease. Did that mean Steve was willingly sullying himself _just_ to appeal to Bucky? Good, clean, kindhearted Steve?

Uncomfortable by the thought, Bucky looked away from Steve, clearing his throat as he tightened his fingers around his hand. “Hey, uh... you didn’ change th’piercing just fer me did ya? I mean, I ain’t… I ain’t corruptin’ you am I?”

“What?” Steve asked. Looking down at him, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What? No you’re not corrupting me or anything. I wanted to change the piercing myself. Why do you think you’re corrupting me?”

“Just uhm…” Bucky trailed off. He bit his lip, feeling his lip ring catching in his teeth as he contemplated his answer. They’d already gone over this once before; he really didn’t feel like burdening Steve with another go around with this same topic. “Nothin’, just… you know already.”

Steve sighed. He tightened his fingers before lifting Bucky’s hand to press kisses to his knuckles. “Hey, what did I tell you before? I’m happy with you just the way you are, Buck. You’re not doing anything to me that I don’t want and I’m not changing anything about you. I love you as you are, and I hope to hell you love me just the way I am too.”

“Hell, yeah, I do!” Bucky said. Looking up at him, he threw his arm around Steve’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I just, y’know… wanted t’make sure, okay? No big deal.”

“Good. Now let’s hurry up. Tacos, Bucky! I’m hungry!” Steve laughed, tugging on his wrist.

The two of them took their chance, jogging down the sidewalk together towards the park. The sun had just begun its descent for the day, finally cooling their evening off and leaving a brisk chill to the breeze that soothed both men. The air was so comfortable, the weight of the day’s heat finally left them for good, leaving the two men feeling a lot giddier than he had before.

Bucky grinned, letting go of Steve’s wrist to jog ahead. He crossed the sidewalk into the parkway, turning back to Steve and holding his arms out. “I win! You gotta buy me tacos now!” he laughed.

“Didn’t know it was a contest, babe,” Steve said. He jogged up beside him and slugged him in the shoulder, before pulling him into his side. “But if you insist, I guess I can foot the bill for tacos tonight. You’ll just have to make it up to me later.”

“Aw, I think I can manage that,” Bucky replied. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek before bumping his hip with his own. “Whatever you want, babe. I can handle it.”

Steve smiled down at him. The two turned and headed into the park, where a multitude of people had already gathered. Ahead of them, the small stage that had been erected was already surrounded by groups of people, and the smell of food wafted through the cool air. As they walked, Steve tightened his grip around Bucky’s waist, holding him closer to his side. “Hey, listen, Buck… about what you said earlier,” he muttered, looking down at him. “You know I really love you and everything about you, right?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Steve nodded. He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, before looking up at Bucky with a slightly plaintive look. “There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I just didn’t know how to go about it. It’s about me, actually…”

Bucky nodded. He waited patiently for Steve to go on, his shoulder tucked warmly into his side. But as they walked together, Bucky noticed his partner’s features drop into a sorrowful glance. Staring up at him, Bucky tried his best to glean what the hell he was feeling just from his expression alone, and he tightened his fingers on his him.

However before he could ask him what was bothering him, Bucky heard the sound of laughter darting around behind them, and he turned. Children were running around the park, playing together in a game of tag. Bucky smirked, sidestepping with Steve to avoid their trajectory, and looked up at Steve with that same smile. Only when he did look up at Steve, he only found himself staring at the sight of his boyfriend’s horrified face. “Steve? What’re yo-“

Bucky turned, only to be met with a loud and resounding ‘slap!’ across the face. The pain laced through his cheek and mouth, gouging at the piercing in his lower lip and snapping his head to the side with the force of it. Bucky gasped, stumbling backwards from Steve’s side at the assault, before his own hand shot up to his face in shock. What the hell… who the hell had just slapped him!?

Shaking his head, Bucky looked up, only to see a short, blond woman standing in front of him. Her pretty face was a mask of rage and her cheeks were bright red beneath the flash of her furious gaze. Her hands were curled at her sides, shaking visibly as if she wanted to slap the hell out of him again.

Bucky spluttered, staring at her for a long moment before he pulled his hand from his face. He looked down at his palm, only to see a small speck of blood on his hand. He licked his lip, tasting the copper flavor on his tongue. Holy hell, she’d slapped him so hard she’d torn at his lip piercing! “Jesus Christ, lady, what the _fuck_ is yer problem?!” he exclaimed, glaring down at her.

“Don’t you _dare_ talk to me in that tone of voice, you- you _tramp!”_ the woman shrieked in his face. She jabbed her finger into his chest, shoving him back a step as she crowded into him in her floral dressed wrath. “You homewrecker! How dare you think you can talk to me like this after what you did! You bastard-!”

“Jesus, stop!” Steve’s voice cut in. Bucky looked up in time to see Steve rush over to the two of them and pull the woman away from him. “Sharon, don’t! Stop!”

“Steve, are you kidding me?!” the woman, Sharon, snapped. She turned on Steve, her eyes burning brighter than ever with anger. “Are you _kidding_ me?! That’s what you chose! That little boy?! That undereducated _manwhore_ over me! How could you do that to me?!”

“Sharon, back the hell off!” Steve snapped. He turned, putting himself between her and Bucky, his broad shoulders blocking Bucky’s view as he stared her down. “Don’t ever call him that again, I swear to God-!”

Bucky listened to the argument unfolding in front of him, his eyes wide in horror. He stepped back, watching the two of them scream at each other in the middle of the park before he tore his gaze away. He was met with the sight of several people watching the fray with morbid curiosity, before the reality of it kicked in.

How strangely, disturbingly familiar this was…

“Shut the fuck up, botha you!” Bucky shouted. That got their attention as the two turned to face him. Bucky noted, with dismay, the terrified look on Steve’s face, and he found his stomach lurching up into his chest. Why the hell did Steve look so Goddamn guilty? “What the fuck is goin’ on? Who the hell’re you, and what do you mean homewrecker? I didn’t do shit to you lady!”

Sharon turned to Bucky, planting her hands on her narrow hips. “You did plenty to me, you tattooed, grease monkey! Hanging all over Steve like you own him in public! Humiliating me! _Stealing_ him away from me! As for who I am? I’m his _fiancée_!” she snapped, holding her hand out to Bucky to show him the ring on her finger.

Bucky’s eyes darted to her hand, his heart slamming to a halt in his chest. He heard a choked protest come from Steve at his left, though whatever he said was drowned out by the roaring in his ears. His blood ran cold as he stared at the engagement ring, every inch of his body going numb. He tore his gaze from her ring to her face, seeing the fury etched into her features, the indignation and betrayal.

Christ, he couldn’t even look at Steve.

Choking on bile, Bucky tore himself away from the two of them and stumbled backwards. He felt a hand land on his elbow trying to stop him, but with a howl of dismay, he shook it off violently before turning and storming away from the two of them. He ignored the other park patrons around him, eyes locked dead ahead as he made for the street beyond the park. He couldn’t be there. Christ, he couldn’t even breathe.

_‘Oh my God, it happened again...’_

Bucky nearly made it to the road when he heard a muffled shout behind him. Before he could give himself the chance to ignore it, hands clapped down on his shoulders, spinning him in his spot. He looked up through the haze of fury and betrayal to see Steve staring down at him in desperation.

“Bucky!” Steve gasped, squeezing his shoulders. “Please, _please_! Listen to me, i-it’s not… that was wrong, she’s not-!”

“She’s not what?” Bucky snapped. Flailing his arms, he broke out of Steve’s grip to stare up at him accusingly. “She’s not _what,_ Steve?! You mean t’tell me she ain’t yer fuckin’ fiancée because that ring looked pretty fuckin’ legit to me!”

“No!” Steve exclaimed. He scrubbed his fingers through his hair, his face pale as a sheet as he pleaded for understanding. “She’s not my fiancée, we broke up recently!”

“ _Recently_?!” Bucky shouted. He watched Steve flinch openly at that, and his stomach knotted itself up further. “How fuckin’ recently, Steve?! Please for the love of God, don’ tell me we fucked before you _supposedly_ broke up with her!”

Steve wailed, cupping his face in his hands and shaking his head. “NO! No we didn’t! I swear we didn’t, Buck!”

Bucky growled, throwing his arms out and pacing away from Steve. “Oh my _GOD_ , Steve! Details. I want _details_ , Rogers. When the fuck did you ‘break up’ with her, and then start fuckin’ me? Tell me now!”

Bucky stopped, inhaling sharply to try and get his heartrate back under control. He bent, bracing his hands on his knees as his mind raced to life, throwing every possible ugly scenario at him. Picture perfect, Bucky’s mind dug far back in his past to Alex, remembering in exact detail this exact scenario repeating itself in that moment. He remembered the way Alex flippantly revealed his marriage to him, the way Charlotte had looked down on Bucky like he was the scum of the earth. The way people had stared at him like _he_ was the horrible beast for having his heart broken.

Right then and there, the broken pieces of his heart that had been so meticulously glued back together by time and Steve’s affections, shivered and broke right apart again, crumbling to dust in his chest. He literally felt like he was having a heart attack, his chest aching so thoroughly he couldn’t breathe. This was it. It had happened again, after three fucking years.

He just wasn’t meant to be loved.

“Bucky…” Steve’s voice cut in; it was low and soothing, hopeful even. Bucky felt Steve’s hand on his back, and he jerked away from the blond. He looked up in time to see the hurt look on Steve’s face at his rejection. “Okay, okay listen to me. I’ll tell you. I was going to tell you, I swear to God I was.”

Steve inhaled, looking down at him. “We didn’t have sex before I broke up with her. Believe me when I say we were broken up before you and I went on that first date…”

Bucky listened to him; he didn’t like the way Steve’s voice hedged on those words. There was something about that break up Steve wasn’t admitting. “Steve…” he gulped. He stared at him through watery eyes, his fingers trembling at his sides. “Steve, _when the hell_ did you break up with her? And you better be fuckin’ straight with me, because I’ll find out the truth!”

Steve flinched. He looked down at his hands, wringing them nervously in front of his waist. “The uhm- The same day. The same day of our date, she and I got into a big fight that afternoon…”

Bucky heard that confession, and every cell in his body shrieked in grief. 8 hours. That’s all the time in the world Steve had given between relationships. Bucky hadn’t been worth more than 8 Goddamn hours to Steve Rogers, the love of his fucking life.

“Oh my _God_!”  Bucky wailed, tears burning at the corners of his eyes at that revelation. He turned away from Steve, scrubbing his hands through his hair in agony. “Steve are you serious?! All those touches, the cuddling, t-the kissing! All the little dates before that! You two weren’t even- and how do I know-!” He looked up at him, horrified. “All those little fuckin’ dates, Steve, and you were still with her! We almost had sex while you two were still together!”

Bucky stopped, holding his hand up. “Hold on… she didn’ think you two were broken up. Steve did you even tell her you two were over?!”

Steve flinched again, looking down at the ground. “I thought we were…” he murmured, ashamed and mournful.

Bucky stared up at his response, his eyes blown wide in disbelief. “You thought. YOU THOUGHT?! _YOU WEREN’T EVEN FUCKING SURE?!”_ Bucky cried. He was shaking so badly, he felt like he would come apart at the seams. Every breath was like breathing in acid, and every thought he had flashed back to Alex over and over again.

It was a vicious, ugly cycle. First Alex had gained his trust and torn him apart. Then Steve came into his life and made Bucky feel like he could be loved, worshipped, and worthy of loving someone as beautiful and perfect as he was. But it was all an illusion. A trick. Another uptight, yuppie success story that had swooped in and made a mockery of the happiness of a poor, lower class schmuck like him.

It was treachery of the highest degree, and Bucky had been the fool every single time.

“I can’t… I can’t do this,” he breathed. Looking up at Steve, he leveled him with a flat look, his eyes burning with unshed tears. “I can’ fuckin’ do this. I gotta… I gotta go.”

“Buck…” Steve pleaded. He took a step towards Bucky, his arms outstretched. “C’mon, please. Listen to me, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry-“

“Yer sorry.” Bucky laughed. It was a hurt, monotone laugh and he tore himself away from Steve’s side. Then and there, he threw up walls of iron, blocking out Steve’s pleading and apologies. He’d already gotten hurt like this once before. The fact that he’d allowed himself to get hurt like this a second time… he couldn’t believe how stupid he felt. “Yer sorry? I don’ fuckin’ believe you! You ain’t sorry. Sorry would be you tellin’ me we fuckin’ made out while you were still with her, the day it happened. Sorry woulda been you tellin’ me she was even around, instead of makin’ me look like the Goddamn slut that fucked her husband to be.”

Holding his hands up, Bucky stepped away from Steve’s side, shaking his head. “I can’t do this. I can’t look at you right now. I’m goin’ home. I got some shit to think about now. _Without_ you.”

With that, Bucky turned on his heel and marched away from Steve. He kept his shoulders back and his head held high, despite the fact that he wanted to crumble in on himself and never move again. He heard Steve’s desperate calls for him, but he kept his eyes locked ahead. He wouldn’t look back at him.

He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Bucky marched through the streets of Brooklyn, back towards his apartment building, fully intent on locking himself away and never coming out again. He didn’t want to talk to his friends. He didn’t want to prove their earlier convictions correct. They had all been right. Telling him not to trust Steve so quickly, they had all warned him not to let himself fall so fast again. But he’d done it. He’d allowed himself to fall head over heels for Steve, damn the consequences, and look what it had gotten him.

But the closer he got to home, the faster he felt his resolve crumbling.  By the time Bucky made it back to his apartment, he was barely holding himself together. Tears built up at the corners of his eyes, and his stomach was knotted so tightly he could vomit. His hands trembled at his sides as he let himself into his apartment, legs like jelly beneath him. He barely got the door shut behind him before his legs gave out and he collapsed back against the door.

Bucky slumped to the floor, holding his head in his hands. There, he finally cried openly, big and ugly tears running down his face as he sobbed. This was never supposed to happen again. He was never supposed to go through this again in his life.

But most importantly, Steve wasn’t the one that was supposed to hurt him. Bucky had cared for all his other partners very deeply; Steve was the only one he’d truly loved. He wasn’t supposed to be the one to shatter him so thoroughly.

Crying into his palms, Bucky shuddered viciously as he struggled to get himself back under control. He couldn’t do this. Not alone. As much as he was going to hate the “I told you so’s” coming from his friends, he needed them. He needed them now more than ever. He’d deal with the backlash later.

Trembling viciously, Bucky pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened the screen, scrolling through his contacts until he found Natasha’s number. He could barely see the screen through his tears, but he managed to dial her number, pressing the phone to his ear as he listened to the ringing.

“ _Hello Bucky Barnes, who’s supposed to be on a date with his hot as hell boyfriend. Why are you calling me?”_ Natasha asked, laughing through her spiel. In the background, Bucky could hear Clint laughing at something, most likely the television.

Bucky inhaled, choked up and whimpering. He shook his head, taking a shaky breath before blurting out a teary whine. “N-Nat… Nat it fuckin’ happened again,” he cried. “Steve’s- He… he’s got a fiancée.”

Silence ebbed over the receiver. For a long moment, Natasha didn’t speak. Then, uttering a curse under her breath, Natasha inhaled, her voice crackling over the line. _“Mother fucker… where are you?”_

“’M at home,” Bucky murmured, wiping his hand across his eyes. “I just left him…”

 _“Fuckin’ serious…”_ Natasha cursed before her phone crackled loudly. _“We’ll be right over.”_

Bucky didn’t answer her. He simply sniffled, hanging the phone up and shoving himself to his feet. Exhausted and emotionally drained, Bucky stumbled towards the living room, where he collapsed onto the sofa. He didn’t even bother to kick off his shoes, too tired to move or even think for himself. He didn’t look up, staring at the far wall in numb agony. When Zima waddled over to her master, looking up at him with big, sad, blue eyes, Bucky simply scooped her up into his arms and held her on the sofa, burying his face in her fluffy fur as he quietly cried.

Minutes ticked by as Bucky lay on that sofa. He didn’t even flinch when Natasha and Clint let themselves into the apartment to stare at him for a long moment. Only when the door banged open a second time, heralding the arrival of one incredibly pissed off Brock Rumlow, did Bucky finally look up. His eyes trained on his three friends for a moment before he turned away from them to bury his face back in Zima’s scruff. “Don’ fuckin’ say it…” he whimpered.

“Don’t say what, kitten?” Natasha asked. Her voice was soothing as she approached the sofa. Without a word, she clambered up onto the sofa, letting Bucky pillow his head on her lap. With a gentle touch, Natasha began brushing her fingers through his dark hair, pulling the long strands back from his face as she rubbed his scalp and shoulder in soothing strokes. “We weren’t gonna say anything…”

“Bucky,” Clint cut in. Without a word, he dropped down onto the floor in front of him, sitting cross legged. He leveled a gaze at his best friend before reaching out; he ran his palm up and down Bucky’s arm, massaging the muscle gently. When Zima leaned up to lick his arm, Clint turned and scrubbed his fingers through her fur in a gentle stroke. “What the hell happened, man? Everythin’ was perfectly fine this morning!”

Bucky shrugged. He didn’t meet Clint’s gaze at all, choosing to stare at an innocuous point of the far wall. Christ, he was exhausted. “What’dya fuckin’ think, Barton? He played me. This whole time, said there was only me and he cared about me. Come to find out, he’s got a girl on the side I didn’ even know about.” He inhaled, shuddering viciously in Natasha’s lap. When her fingers tightened in his hair, he closed his eyes and whined. “I fuckin’ did it again. I fell too hard and too fast. I’m not fuckin’ meant to be happy.”

“Fuckin’ shit!” Brock cut in. He furiously paced the apartment, his hands tight fists at his sides. He looked over at the sofa, where Bucky was laying miserably in Natasha’s lap, and he growled. “Fuckin’ dickin’ with him like that, I knew that shit head was bad news! He was too fuckin’ perfect. I fuckin’ _knew_ it! I swear I’m gonna kill that prick!”

“No one’s killing anyone!” Natasha cut in. Her voice was harsh, cutting through the quiet of the apartment for a moment. The minute everyone went silent, she looked down at Bucky, her fingers resuming their comforting massage. “No one’s killing anyone. We don’t need any more drama in this apartment tonight. Bucky doesn’t need it.”

Brock didn’t speak for a second. He simply leveled them both with a hard look before his shoulders finally slumped. Fury bubbling deep under the surface, Brock simply crossed the room and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. With a careful hand, he shifted Bucky’s feet into his lap, his hand resting on his ankle, and he collapsed back into the sofa silently. He didn’t say anything else, but that was okay. Bucky knew what that sort of contact meant coming from Brock; he might not have been the most vocal or the most compassionate person. But he was there for Bucky now, and he’d be there for him whenever he needed it. He always had been.

Bucky closed his eyes. He felt another well of sadness in his chest, and he tightened his grip on Zima’s tiny figure. When the puppy whined at being squished like that, Bucky snapped, letting go of her. He allowed her to jump down from the sofa with a whimper, and he broke down, sobbing openly into Natasha’s leg as he dug his fingertips into the cushion beneath him. “I fuckin’ told him I loved him, just this weekend! He lied to me! God, I feel so fuckin’ _STUPID_!” he grieved, shaking his head viciously.

Natasha cooed. She brushed her fingers through his hair a little more firmly, urging him to let out his sorrow and allow her to comfort him. “No, kitten, don’t you dare feel stupid. You didn’t know. You didn’t do _anything_ wrong.” She soothed him, running her fingers up and down his back.

No one dared speak again. With Natasha’s reassurance, Bucky was left to his sorrow, curled up on the sofa and surrounded by his friends as they helped him through this.

Not that that would do him any good. Bucky was certain he’d never recover from this one. Steve had gotten so deeply under his skin that the moment the truth of his engagement came out, it had ripped Bucky apart, flaying him alive and leaving him to bleed out under the weight of it all. His broken heart, mended by years and what he’d hoped was the perfect love, had been broken again, and he could feel…

He knew there was no way he would ever recover again.

Tightening his fingers in Clint’s hand, Bucky closed his eyes as he wept quietly in the stillness of the room. His friends didn’t move; Brock never stopped massaging his legs, and Natasha combed his hair with her fingers, humming a little lullaby in her throat. There was little they could do to fix the broken man they were trying to comfort, but Bucky appreciated their efforts all the same.

No one said a word as Bucky cried himself into exhaustion. No one said a thing as they simply allowed the man to grieve over his broken heart. Bucky could barely muster the strength to show them his appreciation. At least he was comforted by the fact that they would be patient with him while he went through this again.

And that was the fucking kicker. It was déjà vu all over again. Three years apart, the exact same fucking thing had happened to Bucky twice in his life. He didn’t learn his lesson. He should have gone with his first instincts that long ago and completely shut himself from the idea of love again.

Now? Now he knew for a fact he would never love again. He didn’t like the idea of shutting himself off like this, but it would be better.

It would be better to never love again, than to risk this heartbreak a third time in his life.

* * *

Blood pounded in Steve’s ears, making him feel light headed and dizzy where he stood; he was rooted to the spot, his feet glued to the concrete of the sidewalk just as they had been in his dream so long ago. Breath was impossible to draw and every minute twitch of his muscles felt like a thousand needles raking down his body in a fiery touch against his flesh.

No. This didn’t just happen. Bucky hadn’t just walked away from him.

Inhaling slowly, he felt his chest expanding, but never more did he feel like he was suffocating in his life. Sam had been right… why hadn’t he listened to Sam? He had ample opportunity to tell Bucky about Sharon, and he’d never once opened his Goddamn mouth to expose his own secret when it was the right time.

And now…

Bucky had walked away from him. Bucky had told him he didn’t want to be around him, couldn’t even fucking _look_ at him. And it had all been Steve’s fault. He should have told Sharon they were over with for good. He shouldn’t have left it up to chance. He should have told Bucky about his relationship.

But he hadn’t and it had cost him the one thing he cared most about in his world. It was truly his nightmare come to life.

“No,” He muttered dumbly. Shaking his head, Steve mustered himself from his thoughts and took a stumbling step forward. No, he had to fix this. He had to get Bucky back. He didn’t just demolish their relationship. This could be fixed. This was fixable. _It had to be_. They were in love, they were together. This sort of thing got fixed all the time and people were happy.

Before Steve could bolt after Bucky to make amends for what he’d done, he felt a hand on his elbow. Steve tore his gaze from the street to his left, where he saw Sharon staring up at her in her righteous fury. All at once, the numbness in his limbs simmered away into boiling wrath. He tore his arm out of her grip and stepped away from her.

“You. What the fuck did you do? Why the _fuck_ did you tell him we were still together?!” he shouted at her. He watched the woman step away from him with no little satisfaction, and he found a hysterical laugh wanting to escape him. This was fucked up on countless levels, and here he was wanting to laugh like a fucking psycho. He was a freak and he deserved every bad thing coming his way.

Sharon looked up at him, her eyes wide in confusion and surprise. “Excuse me, you’re the one that cheated on me after we had that fight! And now you’re going to get mad at me because your little fuck buddy got mad at you for not telling him about me? And somehow I’m the bad guy?!”

Steve threw his arms out with a growl of frustration. “ _We’re not together anymore, Sharon!_ We haven’t been together since that fight and you damn well know it! Why are you spreading lies to people about us?! Why are you going around telling people I’m cheating on you when we haven’t been together since then!?”

“Because I thought we were!” Sharon protested. She reached out for Steve’s shirt, only to have her fingers batted away from his chest. “Why are you doing this, Steve?! I still want to marry you. It was just a fight, and you know it!”

This time Steve did laugh. He laughed and laughed, stepping out of her grip before crossing his arms over his chest to block her out. “No, Sharon. No. I don’t… I don’t want to marry you. I haven’t been in love with you in a really long time, and I’m sorry I dragged this on. But we’re not getting married. We’re not together. That’s that.”

Sharon stared up at him, her eyes wide and hurt. After a moment, she looked down at the ground, wringing her floral skirt in her fingers. “But you’re in love with… with him. With that _thing_ from the garage. Why? I don’t understand why.”

Steve watched her. His shoulders tensed in renewed anger, and he squared off to stare at her. “Don’t ever call him that again, Sharon. He’s a _person_! Not something you can look down on because he’s different. And yes. I’m in love with him. My reasons are my own, I don’t have to tell you why.”

Sharon didn’t speak for a second. Her eyes remained locked on the ground for a moment before she looked up at him. A hint of something unsavory burned in her eyes that had Steve shifting uncomfortably and she squared her shoulders off. “Well… you may be in love with him. Are you sure he’s still in love with you?” she asked.

Steve watched her. An unease settled over him at her words and he looked away to the street beyond the park. He had to go find Bucky. He had to talk to him, explain to him the truth.

He _had_ to fix this.

Without another word, Steve turned and raced away from Sharon, leaving her behind in the park. He didn’t bother looking back at her. He didn’t have time to. Steve had to find Bucky and make him understand that he hadn’t used him. He had to make amends for keeping such a terrible secret from him.

Sprinting down the street, Steve made his way towards Bucky’s apartment. He didn’t stop once, his lungs burning with exertion as he weaved the Brooklyn sidewalks to get to Bucky’s street. He didn’t stop even when he darted out into traffic and nearly got hit by a taxi. He didn’t give a shit. He couldn’t stop or slow down. He had to fix this, he had to fix this now or everything he’d built up with Bucky this whole summer would be over. He’d lose his best guy and Steve couldn’t let that happen. He’d been right when he’d admitted his feelings to Sam. He would crumble to dust and never love again if he lost Bucky.

By the time Steve made it to Bucky’s street, his lungs were screaming for air, his limbs tingling with blood flow. He panted ragged and shallow as he darted into the building and up the stairs to Bucky’s apartment. But when he tried the handle, he found the door was locked still, barring him from inside. Bucky never locked his apartment up this early in the evening.  That either meant Bucky wasn’t home…

Or he was trying to keep Steve out.

A wail threatened to overtake him, choking him on the spot. He swallowed back the cry until his throat actually ached with the effort. He curled his hand into a fist and knocked desperately on Bucky’s door, praying that he was inside and would let him in. “Bucky!” he cried through the doorway. He shouted so loudly, he was certain the neighbors would file complaints against Bucky for the noise. At that moment, Steve didn’t even care if he had to face the landlord himself, as long as it got Bucky to talk to him. “Bucky! Buck, please open the door! Let me in, we need to talk! _Please_ , just let me in baby, and lemme explain!”

Steve took a step back from the door and held his breath. Mentally, he pleaded and pleaded for Bucky to answer the door. A million thoughts ran through his head; how would he explain to Bucky what had happened? Maybe Bucky would have calmed down by now and would listen to him. He could fix this. He had to. There was literally no other way this could go.

A few moments later, the door began to jiggle and the lock turned. Steve’s heart leaped up into his throat and threatened to strangle him as he waited for that door to open. But when it did, he was not met with the sight of Bucky.

He was met with the sight of Brock.

For a split second neither man moved. Brock broke the silence first, slinking out of the door like a predator ready to rip Steve’s throat out. “You. You motherfucker,” Brock seethed. Ravenous anger visibly overtook the older man, and Steve found himself shrinking back at the god-like fury pouring off of him. “You bitch. You think you can come over here and demand to talk to him after the _fuckin’ shit you pulled_?!”

Fists curling tightly, the mechanic threw himself out of the door at Steve. He might not have been bigger than Steve, but he had years and a different kind of brawn that came from good old fashioned labor, and not cultivated in a cozy gym. He launched himself at Steve, his fist raising high before it arched down and connected with the side of his face.

Steve felt his knuckles connect with his jaw with a vicious ‘crack!’ and he grunted, stumbling backwards with the strength of his hit. Steve managed to catch himself on the wall, but when he looked up, he saw Brock throw himself at Steve, another fist coming down with force. This time, Steve managed to dodge the hit, his own hand shooting out to knock his fist away. He kept his palms open, flat-handing Brock’s fists away from his face before he threw his arms up and shoved him back against the far wall.

“Stop!” Steve pleaded, his eyes wide. “Stop, I didn’t come here to fight I came here to fix this. Please just let me see him!”

“You ain’t comin’ within ten feet of him again, you hear me?!” Brock shouted. He righted himself, panting wildly as he glared at him from across the hall. “You think you got the _right_ to fix this for yerself after you broke his goddamn heart! Bucky didn’t need yer stupid ass to do this to him again. Yer lucky I don’t cart yer fuckin’ ass outta here in a bodybag, you affluent fuck!”

Steve stared at him, his eyes wide in mortification. His blood ran like ice in his chest and he huffed loudly, reaching up to rub his jaw where Brock had punched him. He could feel the lump forming on his face already and he hissed in pain. He was lucky, all things considered, that he’d managed to knock the other guy back before he really whaled on him. Not that he didn’t deserve every second of it.

However, before either one of them could speak again, a figure stepped out of the apartment, followed by two shadows. When Steve looked up, his stomach clenched violently at the sight of Bucky watching them. Bucky looked horrible; his eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were streaked with the remains of tears. He turned to Steve, his eyes narrowed at him for a moment.

Then and there, Steve could see the pain, the palpable heartbreak on Bucky’s sleeve. He could see it clear as day, and with horror, Steve realized that maybe this wouldn’t be easy to fix after all.

“Brock!” Bucky shouted, getting the older man’s attention on him. He reached out, grabbing Brocks’ elbow and tugging him back to the apartment. “Brock, knock it off! Go inside.”

“Bucky, he-“ Brock started, but Bucky cut him off with a harsh look.

“I said go inside. I’ll handle this.” Bucky turned back, looking at Natasha and Clint for a moment before nodding. Without a word, the two understood what he wanted and quietly ushered Brock inside before he could pounce on Steve and really murder him.

Left alone now, Steve looked up at Bucky with sorrow burned into his eyes. His figure trembled viciously, and he offered him a teary-eyed look. “Bucky… please. Listen to me, I can explain-“

“Explain what,” Bucky said coldly. He looked Steve over for a moment, his eyes landing on the growing bruise on the side of Steve’s face. “Might wanna get an ice pack on that soon, before yer pretty face gets fucked up for everyone else.”

Steve flinched, looking down at the floor. “Buck, please, I didn’t mean to do this. I didn’t intend to hurt you like this, I seriously had no idea that she thought we were still together.” He wasn’t above begging at this point and he looked up at Bucky, his eyes pouring out every apology he could ever utter:

I’m sorry. I fucked up. I’ll do right by you. Let me fix this. _Please don’t leave me._

Bucky laughed. It was a short, disbelieving laugh, and he looked away from Steve to stare at the floor. “Y’know what, Steve? I actually don’t believe you this time. How am I supposed t’do that when you just took away every reason for me to do so? Y’might not have intended on hurtin’ me… but ya did.”

Steve swallowed. His heart sank lower and lower in the pit of his stomach and a whine escaped him in the too-small hallway around the two of them. “Bucky-“

“Go home, Steve.” Bucky said sharply. Looking away from him, Bucky stepped back into his apartment. As he turned to close the door behind him, Bucky looked up at Steve and leveled him with the most hurt, betrayed look on his face. “For the record, if ya need a quick tutorial on how t’break up with someone? It looks a little somethin’ like this.”

With that, Bucky turned and closed the door behind him, locking Steve out once again. There was no more talk from inside the apartment. No more movement, no more shouting. Just… gone.

Steve didn’t move. Just like at the park, Steve felt himself sinking lower and lower into himself; he was drowning in plain sight, and this time there was no waking up from this nightmare. This time, there was no one to save him from himself. He was drowning and it was all his fault.

 _All his fault_.

“… B-Buck…” he breathed. His lip trembled, fingers ice cold. He reached out for the door, touching the wood, before he jerked his hand back like he’d been burned. He stepped back, fighting the urge to barge open that door, drag Bucky out and _make_ him see how fucking sorry he was. He wanted to _make_ Bucky believe him, that he wanted him back and still loved him. He wanted to make him see that he hadn’t done that to hurt him.

But that wouldn’t work. Bucky wouldn’t listen to him. He wouldn’t listen to him ever again. Could Steve honestly blame him? Not at all.

This was, after all, his fault.

Steve didn’t remember walking home. He didn’t remember vacating that apartment and making the ten minute walk to his own apartment. He came back to himself almost twenty minutes later, totally confused as to how he got home. By the time Steve came back to himself, he quietly accepted the pain for what it was. He was shutting down. Just like he’d told Sam, Steve was shutting down without the light of Bucky in his world. But he couldn’t seek sympathy or pity from anyone.

He’d lost his best guy by his own hand. No one would feel sorry for him.

Without a care, Steve slumped into the bedroom, where he collapsed onto his bed in a pile of limbs. He threw his glasses across the room, where he heard them crack against the far wall before hitting the floor in pieces. He didn’t care anymore.

For hours he lay on that bed. He lay on that bed, still fully clothed and growing hotter under the collar with each passing moment. But he didn’t move to change. He just didn’t care anymore.

He heard Scout nose his way into the bedroom, where he sat on the floor and uttered tiny little mewls of discontent at his empty belly. Steve didn’t move to feed or take care of him. He didn’t care.

_How could he care when he’d lost Bucky._

It took him several long minutes to realize he was crying. No, not crying; _bawling_ into his pillow. But that didn’t matter anymore. Let himself cry, he thought to himself bitterly. He deserved every ounce of pain he was feeling. He’d lied, he’d cheated Bucky and he’d robbed himself of his happiness by pushing away the one guy he’d loved in his life. He’d lied to him, over and over again; how could he expect any sort of redemption for something so heinous?

He buried his face into the cushion, arms wrapped tightly around the pillow as he wept. It took him a few moments to realize his pillow smelled exactly like Bucky, and the tears only came harder and more vicious than before. He’d never have that scent on his pillow again. He’d never have him in his arms again. He was going to be alone now, because he’d never love anyone as much as he loved Bucky. He would never look for love after Bucky, because no one in the world could ever love him like Bucky did in return.

He was going to be alone in the world and he honestly couldn’t find it in himself to care. It was the least he deserved after everything he’d done…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this chapter. Please don't kill me.


	12. Tips to Mend a Wounded Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into the life of Steve and Bucky, post break up. Bucky and Steve finally share a heart to heart discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I was ready to post this chapter about an hour ago, but a commenter left such an interesting thought on the last chapter, I had to incorporate it into this chapter. So it took me a few minutes to write up the extra scene at the beginning! Thanks reviewer (whose name I cannot remember right now!)
> 
> I TOLD YOU ID HAVE THE FIX UP AND RUNNING RIGHT AWAY!!!!
> 
> I was gonna be evil. I was gonna make you guys wait to see the resolution for awhile, but I couldn't help myself. So here you go, without further ado, chapter 12 and the fix for the ugly break up!!!! YAAAAYYY!!!!
> 
> Also TRIGGER WARNING FOR USE OF CHOKING AND EROTIC ASPHYXIATION IN THE SEX SCENE!!! Both are completely consenting to this practice, and Bucky goes about it in a safe manner. However, if anyone is bothered by this, heed the warning. The choking section starts at this sentence:
> 
> _He was so entranced in his actions, he barely felt Steve shifting beneath him._
> 
> And ends after this sentence:
> 
> _Bucky immediately tore his hand from his throat._
> 
> That's it! Now enjoy this chapter guys! you all deserve the fix I promised you guys!!!! GO READ NOW!!!

Day 3. Not like he was counting or anything.

But day 3 of no sleep. Fuck his life.

Steve blinked, staring at the table in front of himself blearily. He had made a half-assed attempt to cook himself dinner that night, but much like the past three days, the food simply sat on the plate growing cold as he glowered at it. This would remain as such until he got bored of sitting at the table and went to curl up on the sofa to forget about it. Then, as the evening progressed, Steve would remember the food was still there, get up to fetch it so Scout wouldn’t get into it, and then just decide it was too much effort to save it and simply throw it out.

Three days of this. Three days of wasted groceries and lack of sleep. His business was suffering without a watchful eye, and Steve didn’t honestly give two shits about that.

Why would he, when the one thing in his life that gave him purpose had kicked him to the curb?

Fighting back the tears, Steve got to his feet and immediately put the plate down in the fridge. Maybe this time he’d actually eat it. Maybe later that night, he’d gain some sort of appetite and actually consume something.

Once he’d secured the open plate in his fridge, Steve ran his hand over his face, only to flinch at the pain in his jaw. He hissed, touching the bruise on his face before dropping his hand to his side in defeat. He deserved that bruise on his face. Brock had had every reason to punch him. He had just been protecting Bucky, like Steve was supposed to have done this whole time. Steve understood; he deserved every little bit of pain this whole fuck up gave him.

Defeated, Steve turned towards his living room. However, just as he did, he was met with the sight of Scout sitting in his food bowl again, giving Steve a plaintive little look. With a pitiful little mewl, Scout stared up at Steve for a second before pawing at the side of his bowl insistently.

Steve groaned, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. Shit, his hair was dirty. He hadn’t taken a shower in two days. Chalk that up to another unfortunate side effect of his depression. “Shit, Scout. M’sorry, kitten.” Turning for the cupboard, Steve grabbed a can of kitten food from the shelf and cracked it open. Walking over to Scout’s bowl, he plucked the kitten out and set him on the floor, where he watched him scurry to the wall and leap up to the window sill again. For some reason, Scout had taken to sitting on the sill every time he wanted to eat, a trick that Steve normally found quite adorable.

This time, however, he simply sighed in annoyance and marched over to set his bowl down on the window. “Can’t be a normal cat and eat on the floor once, can you?” he said, staring down at the kitten.

Scout resolutely ignored him in favor of salmon pate.

Steve sighed, turning away from him. He allowed the cool breeze wafting through the open window to soothe him for a moment before he scanned the kitchen. He really needed to take the garbage out. And shower.

And just generally function like a human being.

Grumbling to himself, Steve crossed the room and grabbed the garbage bag from its canister. He purposefully ignored the plate in his fridge, forcing himself to leave it there so it would be in his face the next time he opened it. He was going to eat that food, dammit, whether he wanted to or not.

With his bag in hand, Steve walked the perimeter of the apartment, grabbing garbage and filling the bag until he was sure he’d cleaned up the place a little bit. Tying off the bag, he quietly slipped out of the room and down the stairs to take his bag to the dumpster outside. But just as he opened the lid of the dumpster and tossed his trash inside, Steve felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Weird. He hadn’t had so much as a text message come through to him in three days, and here, someone was calling him?

For a brief, wild moment, Steve tore his phone from his pocket with hope bubbling up his chest like a fountain. Three days after Bucky had dumped him and he got a random call at 7 at night? Maybe it was Bucky! Maybe this nightmare could be over.

But the minute Steve pressed his phone to his ear, not bothering to look at the caller ID, he found himself listening to an automated message trying to sell him car insurance. No Bucky. No rescue come to save him from his depression.

Just the same old bullshit all over again.

Disappointed, Steve hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He sighed sadly, hanging his head as he stared at the dirty ground in front of him. This was going to be a long, painful process, getting over Bucky.

 _‘Who the fuck am I kidding… I’m never gonna get over him,’_ he thought to himself sadly.

This time, as the tears welled up in his eyes, Steve allowed them to fall. Two fat ones ran down his cheeks and dripped to the ground below. He didn’t even bother to wipe them away, simply letting them run tracks down his cheeks and stain his skin all over again.

He would have allowed himself the moment to cry, had not his neighbor come around the bend at that moment. Quickly, Steve turned away from the guy, scrubbing his hand over his cheeks to dry the tears away. He didn’t want his neighbors to see him crying. Pretty much everyone in his apartment complex knew about Bucky, and he hadn’t exactly made it public knowledge that he’d been dumped by the guy he was in love with yet.

So with that, Steve muttered a brief greeting at his neighbor before skirting around him to head back inside. Grabbing his apartment key from his pocket, Steve let himself back into his apartment and shut the door behind him. “Hey Scout, hope you’re done eating… Gotta wash your bowl,” he said, forlorn and dreary.

Normally, Scout would come running at his name. Normally, after a full belly, Scout would crowd Steve looking for attention, and curl up on his lap for the rest of the night.

This time, Steve was surprised to find the kitten didn’t come charging through the room like he usually did.

Confused, Steve looked up and began to scan the apartment looking for him. “Scout? Yo, buddy… c’mon out.”

Still, there was no sight of Scout to be had.

Growing apprehensive, Steve began to search his home, looking under furniture and behind doors to look for his little tyke. But with each passing moment and Steve still didn’t find the kitten, his heart began to hammer wildly with fear. “Scout! Where the hell are you?!”

Nothing. Not a peep from the normally noisy kitten. Steve gasped, leaning back as he knelt on the floor by his bed, and looked around his bedroom. Two thoughts suddenly crossed his mind: he couldn’t lose Scout. Scout was his last tie to Bucky! If he lost Scout, he’d lose his fucking mind!!

His second thought came with a gut-wrenching panic: what if Scout had fallen out the window?

Jumping to his feet, Steve ran for the kitchen. Sure enough, the bowl Scout was eating from still sat quietly, half the food still sitting at the bottom. Steve cried, leaning out the window to see if he could see his kitten on the ground. He was on the third floor; Scout wouldn’t survive a fall to the parking lot like that!

But as he looked out the window, Steve spotted the bushes far below. They were thick and closely planted together. What if Scout had fallen into the bushes by accident?!

Steve tore back into the apartment and darted for the door. With a thunderous bang, he ripped the door open and ran full tilt down the flight of stairs towards the main lobby. He shoved past the doorman with a scant apology and rushed out to the side of the building where the bushes were planted. “Please be there!” he whimpered as he darted around the corner. “Please, please be there, I can’t lose you too…”

Finally, Steve found the bushes below his apartment. Without warning, he dove in headfirst, digging around the leaves to look for his kitten. He called and called for Scout, praying that with each branch he pulled apart, he’d find his little baby laying there.

What if Scout got hurt? What if he had to rush him to the vet? Christ, what if Scout died?! Steve would never forgive himself for letting that kitten sit on the window sill like that. Just like he’d never forgive himself for losing Bucky.

He really was a fucking idiot.

After a time, Steve’s frantic gestures slowed down. With each leaf he overturned, he found himself met with nothing but dirt and branches. Frowning, Steve sat back on his heels to stare at the bush for a moment. From that height, there was no way Scout would have walked away from it. Even with the bush breaking his fall, he could have seriously hurt himself. So why wasn’t he laying there?

Taking a few deep breaths, Steve leaned back and scrubbed his dirty hands over his face. Maybe he missed something. Maybe Scout was inside still, and he just didn’t find him.

Taking the possibility for hope, he got back to his feet and darted back inside. He offered a sheepish look to the doorman as he ran back in and took the stairs two at a time. He had to comb the apartment. Fuck, he’d turn every piece of furniture he had upside down, as long as he found his kitten.

But just as Steve made it to his floor, he saw his next-door neighbor, Dolores, come out. She was an elderly woman with a bright smile and a head of curly white hair. She was the nicest old lady Steve ever knew.

And to his utter relief, she was holding Scout.

“Steve!” she cried, smiling as she turned to him. “There you are! I was just about to come knocking on your door. Did you know you have a little trapeze artist for a kitten? He scaled the ledge outside the windows and crawled into my kitchen to try and eat some of my herbs. I think he thought they were catnip!” Dolores smiled, though her smile faltered when she spotted the bruise on the side of Steve’s face. “Goodness that looks like it smarts! Did you fall and hurt yourself?”

Steve stared at her for a moment, ignoring her question. He felt tears welling up in relief instead, and he choked on a half-sob. “Oh God. I thought he fell out to the parking lot,” he said. Choked up, he crossed the hall and immediately plucked the kitten from her arms. With delight, he noticed Scout immediately cozy up to him, purring up a storm. Uttering a wet laugh, Steve leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of the kitten’s head. “Jesus Christ, don’t you scare me like that again!”

“Poor thing,” the old woman said. Reaching out, she ran her wizened fingers over the top of the kitten’s head and smiled. “I think he was lonely. You may need to get a little papoose for him and take him everywhere! He’s really such a sweet cat. Where did you get him?”

Steve swallowed. He looked up at her, unsure if he should say anything. After a time, he decided to settle on a half-truth. “Bucky gave him to me after we met. He rescued him from the garden and decided he couldn’t keep Scout for himself.”

“Oh how nice of him!” Dolores replied with a smile. Clapping her hands, she nodded at Steve and turned back for her apartment. “You tell Bucky I said hello the next time you see him. He’s really a nice gentleman; he’s good for you, Steve. I haven’t seen you this happy since you moved in here.” She turned back to Steve as she prepared to lock up her apartment for the night, and waved. “Good night, Steve! Keep that kitten safe!”

Steve nodded, waving at her. He didn’t respond; he knew if he opened his mouth, he would just burst into tears. Dammit, why did she have to remind him what he’d lost?!

Tears formed and fell, tracing over his earlier tear tracks. Sniffling, Steve held the kitten close and made his way into his apartment. So much for doing anything productive that night.

With a broken whimper, Steve immediately went to the window in the kitchen and shut it from the outside world. Once he’d cut off Scout’s escape route for good, Steve turned and went to the sofa to curl up on the cushion. He held Scout close to his chest, nuzzling the kitten for comfort. He could feel Scout pry at his fingers for a moment, mewling unhappily at being squished like this. With a sniffle, Steve let go, expecting the kitten to jump down and run away.

Instead, Scout simply scooted closer to Steve, curling up in a little ball of warmth at the nape of his neck.

Steve stared at the kitten. He watched him sadly, tears running down his cheeks unhindered. With a sniff, he ran his fingers up and down the kitten’s furry body, petting his only source of comfort in this world. It was his only source of happiness and the last tie he had to the man he still loved with everything in him.

God… it had only been three days since he’d last seen Bucky. He was still in so much pain; he could still see the hate and the anger in Bucky’s eyes.

And it was all directed at him.

Steve sobbed, closing his eyes as he held Scout close. Brokenhearted, he simply lay on that couch, accepting the days, weeks, and months of pain ahead for him. Months of pain and misery reserved just for one Steven Grant Rogers, and he wholeheartedly accepted the consequences of his cowardice.

Bucky’s memory deserved nothing less, after all.    

* * *

Bucky sighed, shoving his hands into the basket to withdraw his shopping list. He looked over the paper carefully, trying to decide the fastest possible way to finish his trip and go the fuck back home again. He honestly wouldn’t have left his apartment at all that day, but… he’d run out of toilet paper the night before, and Zima needed a new collar. Somehow, the little fluff ball had managed to chew right through hers. A mystery, since Bucky had had no idea how she’d gotten it off her neck in the first place.

It had been one week since he’d broken up with Steve, and every day that passed seemed to drag by like molasses. Sure, he was up and about (barely), but he felt no less pain than he had when he’d been dumped by Alex three years ago. In fact, Bucky was damn sure the only reason he was even on his two feet at that moment was because he was so heartbroken that pain had no meaning to him anymore. He just felt like the shell of a human being, wandering this store with no real aim in his life.

Exhausted, Bucky shoved the list into his pocket and made his way down the aisle to pick up a bottle of shampoo. This was all really for show, anyway, just in case he ran into Nat, Clint or Brock out in public. He’d promised the lot of them that he’d survive the break up and move on, though it was really just an empty promise. If he had his way, he’d rather lie in bed until he withered away to nothing and just stop existing.

It wouldn't be hard to accomplish, really. He was barely existing without Steve in his world _now_.

Bucky turned down the aisle to grab the last of his things. As he did, he heard his phone ringing at his side and he sighed in defeat. Dammit, couldn’t the world just leave him the fuck alone to suffer in his misery? Growling in frustration, Bucky stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He didn’t even need to look at the caller ID to know who was calling him. “Hello, Nat…”

_“Bucky, I’m currently at your apartment wondering where the hell you are and if I should be sending a search party out to find you. Also, you’re a dumbass and I’ll lock you in my own apartment for the next three months myself, if you’re gonna starve yourself for God’s sake.”_

Bucky sighed, leaning his hip against the wall to steady himself. “For Christ’s sake, wouldja stop breakin’ into my apartment, Nat? I think I can leave my own damn place to go shoppin’ for shit. And how do ya know I’m not eatin’ anythin’? I’m fine!”

 _“No you’re not.”_ Natasha said, sounding beyond aggravated and disappointed. _“I know you’re not eating because I personally left you a fridge’s worth of your favorite meals at your apartment and none of them have been touched. I swear to God, don’t do this to yourself again, Bucky. I will tie you down and force feed this fuckin’ knish down your throat. Don’t tempt me, Barnes. I will do it.”_

Bucky turned down the next aisle and sighed, agitated and tired of this. Now he didn’t even feel like standing in the line to pay for his shit. Any sort of progress he had made with even going outside had just been shattered by Natasha’s nitpicking and he just didn’t understand why people wouldn’t leave him the fuck alone! “Nat. I will eat the food. Please stop ridin’ my damn ass about it, I’ll be _fine,”_ he groused openly.

He knew she meant well, he really did. Bucky barely ate anything when he was upset and when he’d been dumped by Alex, it had taken the combined efforts of his friends to keep him from starving himself in his grief. He knew she was just trying to keep him from repeating that cycle again. He just didn’t know why she had to start on him so soon in the grieving process.

For whatever reason, it seemed that Bucky just couldn’t catch a break that day. The moment he looked up from his grocery basket, Bucky’s heart dropped into his stomach and he felt the blood physically drain from his face. His fingers tightened on his cell phone and he choked on a squeak before hissing into the phone. “Nat. I gotta go,” he murmured before hanging up on her tirade.

Normally, Bucky would have been more polite about hanging up on his friends, mid-sentence. It was just a little hard to do so when he was standing just a scant 6 feet away from Steve.

Bucky cursed inwardly, kicking himself for not paying attention to his surroundings. If he would have, he could have avoided going down that aisle altogether and evaded this awkward situation. But here he was, standing right by Steve, and of course the big blond idiot was staring at him like he’d seen a ghost.

Dammit, why did Bucky even get out of bed this morning?

“Buck,” Steve breathed. He swallowed visibly, face paling under the ugly fluorescent lighting of the store; within seconds, the only color left to his skin was the yellowing bruise that adorned Steve’s jaw, left there courtesy of Brock’s absolute fury. Shifting slightly on his feet, Steve held a can of confectioners’ sugar awkwardly in his palm before reaching out to place it on the shelf. He missed the shelf by a good half inch, yelping loudly as he scrambled to catch the can before it hit the ground. Flushing dark red, Steve straightened back up and leveled Bucky with a tiny, self-conscious look. “Buck, u-uh, hey. How… how have you been?”

Bucky stared up at Steve, his heart lodged permanently in his throat. Fucking shit, couldn’t he get through this whole break up without this bullshit? He personally felt victimized by fate’s ugly sense of humor, and he was seriously not having it anymore; first Natasha harassing him, now Steve showing up? It was like the gods were trying to prolong his pain as long as they possibly could.

“Hi. Been good,” Bucky said shortly. He steeled his face from the pain inside himself and looked away from Steve in hopes of avoiding this conversation. “Look I got a bunch of errands I need to finish running, so I gotta go-“

“Please, Buck,” Steve pleaded. He stepped in front of Bucky, his hands hovering at his waist as if he were debating reaching out and touching him. He seemed to think better of it and let his hands drop to his sides again. When Bucky looked up, he saw the agony pure as day in his watery eyes; they were red as if he’d just finished a good cry and was about to start another round of it. “Please. Can we just- can we talk about this? About this whole thing? I’m goin’ crazy without you and I just… I want to fix this.”

Bucky stared at him, a shiver of hope filling his chest at Steve’s words. For a second, he considered giving in and listening to Steve’s side of the story. A small part of him –that tiny, infinitesimal part of him that wanted to take Steve back and never let him go- rose to the surface and clawed desperately at the chance to listen to Steve’s argument and forgive him on the spot.

But…

Bucky couldn’t forget the assault in the park. He couldn’t forget the look of _guilt_ on Steve’s face when Sharon revealed his secret to him. This hadn’t been a misunderstanding. Steve really had done those things to Bucky and lied to him.

With that thought in mind, Bucky squared his shoulders off and leveled Steve with a harsh look. He shook his head, gripping his basket tighter in his hands before skirting around him to the other side of the aisle. “There’s nothin’ t’talk about, Steve. And there sure as hell ain’t nothin’ to fix. I’m sorry. But I can’t go through this. Not right now.” Pulling his baseball cap down his eyes, Bucky turned away from Steve, shutting him out without a second thought. “Just… let it go, okay? Let it go and move on.”

With that, Bucky left Steve behind and vacated the aisle. He fought the urge to look back at him, even when he heard the choked sob coming from him. He couldn’t look back at Steve, or else his resolve would crack.

He couldn’t go through it again. He couldn’t risk taking Steve back and having his heart broken all over again. He couldn’t trust him, and that above all else, was the thing that hurt Bucky the most.

* * *

**4 Days Later**

The bustle of the café fell on deaf ears as Bucky fussed with the little bag in his hands. He stared down at the tabletop in front of him, twisting the thin plastic in his fingers again and again until he could see the plastic beginning to warp and tear under his fingertips. He barely paid attention to his surroundings, only looking up when a large iced caramel latte was set down on the table with a massive, cinnamon muffin. He sighed to himself, looking up to see the body attached to the hand that had set it down and gave Natasha a withering look. “I didn’ order this…”

“No, I did.” Natasha said quietly. Sitting down across from Bucky, Natasha crossed her long legs, running her fingers over the tattoo on her thigh as she watched him carefully. “And you’re gonna eat that muffin, because I spent good money on it and I’ll knock your block if you don’t.”

Bucky sighed. He looked up at her from across the table, his eyes softening a little bit. “Nat, I really don’ feel hungry, and I feel bad you jus’ spent yer money on this-“

“Bucky,” Natasha said. She sat up, leaning over the table a little bit. This time, all the venom in her words had dissipated finally, leaving her looking weary and worried for him. “Please. It’s been over a week and you haven’t eaten anything. I’m not even sure you’re sleeping.”

“I’m sleeping,” Bucky said quietly. He continued to twist the little baggie in his hands and sighed. “I’m sleeping a lot, actually…”

“So you’re sleeping too much and you’re not eating. Don’t think we haven’t noticed. We didn’t ‘cut’ your hours yesterday because we were over payroll you know. We sent you home because you almost passed out on a transmission block. It’s too hot for you to not be eating anything, and if you don’t start, you’re gonna get really sick. Do you understand me?”

Bucky slumped. Looking worn by the whole thing, he finally gave into his emotions. Slumping forward, he buried his face in his palms and inhaled, shaking visibly in his chair. “Sorry,” he whimpered quietly. He shook his head before finally looking up at her again. “I’m sorry. I just… I’m not tryin’ to self-destruct here. I swear it.”

Natasha nodded. She leaned over, reaching across the table to brush her fingers through his hair. “I know you’re not, kitten. I really do. But you need to eat something. Please. You even got Brock worried about you. Asked us yesterday to send you home, ‘cause he saw you fainting over that block himself. When you got Brock worried and skipping out on his own dates with Yelena because he’s fussing over you, that’s a bad sign.”

Bucky inhaled. He looked up at Natasha, bumping his head up against her palm before he whined. “I’m sorry, I ain’t tryin’ to give you guys grey hairs. I just- I can’t…” he bit his lip and looked down at the table. “Fuck me, Nat I can’t stop thinkin’ about him.”

Natasha listened, her eyes softening. “I know, Bucky.”

Bucky sniffled, feeling his voice cracking as he spoke. “I-it’s just that… I thought maybe I could make myself get over him faster than I did with Alex. I really tried. I didn’ wanna be miserable like that again. But… I can’t. After a few days after Alex, I kinda got over him a little bit. But Steve… It hurts, Nat. It hurts so fuckin’ much!”

Natasha frowned. She scooted her chair around the table as Bucky broke into quiet sobs to throw her arms around his shoulders. Shushing him gently, she rubbed her friend’s back as he cried. Bucky whimpered a little louder, uncaring of the people around him as he burrowed into her arms a little more. “Shh. It’s okay. It’s okay to cry,” Natasha murmured into his hair. “I got you, kitten. Just let it out, alright?”

Bucky did just that. Leaning into her, he cried quietly into her chest as he allowed himself to break down just a little bit more. Around him, he could hear the uncomfortable chatter of people as they watched a grown-ass, tattooed freak crying his eyes out into his friend’s chest, but he didn’t really give a shit. He wasn’t there for their entertainment. They could think whatever the hell they wanted of him.

After a time, Bucky’s cries ebbed into hiccups, before he finally stopped altogether. Sniffling, he leaned into Natasha’s chest to get his bearings before he sat back in his chair. He took the napkin she gave him with a grateful nod and scrubbed it over his face before crumpling it up and throwing it into the nearest trashcan with a sniff. “Thanks…”

“You’re welcome,” Natasha said. She reached out and patted his knee, before sitting back in her own chair. With a small smile, she pushed the muffin towards Bucky, giving him a little eyebrow wiggle.

Bucky snorted, shaking his head as he looked up at her. “You’re not gonna give up on that are ya?”

“Nope,” Natasha said, popping the ‘p’ as she grinned at him. “Plus I got you your favorite coffee. And I bought you new piercings in an awesome rainbow variety,” she said, pointing at the nearly demolished shopping bag in Bucky’s grip. “ _And_ I spent a whole day with you. I’m gonna make you feel better, dammit, whether you want me to or not.”

Bucky smirked. It was the first genuine smirk he’d given in almost two weeks, though he wouldn’t quite call it a real smile yet. However, when he reached out and finally picked up the muffin from the little plate, his eyes caught sight of the little chocolate drizzle word painted across the plate. He read it over and smiled a real smile at last. Leave it to Natasha to be the Band-aid he needed at that moment. “Well… I think yer on the right track.”

Natasha smiled. She watched Bucky pick at the muffin for a minute, before she shifted in her seat. “Tell me this, Bucky. Did you ever figure out what really happened with Steve and his… his girlfriend or whatever she was? I mean… was it actually cheating or… or was there something else in play?”

Bucky paused, his fingers halfway to his mouth with a crumble of muffin. He looked up at her, swallowing thickly around the lump that had formed in his throat. “U-uhm… I don’t-“ he paused, putting the piece of muffin back down. “I mean... no I don’ really know what the deal is. All I know is she said she was engaged to him and he said that they had a fight right before he and I had sex. So… I dunno,” he sighed, looking defeated.

Natasha listened. She nodded a little before leaning back in her seat. Pulling her red hair back from her neck, she got to her feet and looked down at Bucky. “I dunno, either. But- I’m wondering if you should maybe give him a chance to really explain himself and what’s going on with that. Maybe it’ll help you move on from him if you have a concrete reason. Maybe this whole romance between you two was some ‘high school’ summer fling and it just ended in a fight. Maybe not having closure is what’s holding you back and if you have a solid reason why he did that to you, you can move on and let him go.”

Natasha shrugged, reaching into her purse to pull her sunglasses out. She slipped them on and reached down to cup his chin in her palm. “It’s food for thought. But right now, I’m gonna go and check up on the garage. I think you need a little alone time to think, right?” When Bucky nodded, she smiled. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his crown before smiling at him. “Alright. Take all the time you need, but if you need me or Clint, or… or hell, even Brock, don’t hesitate to call again. Okay, kitten?”

Bucky nodded. He reached up, cupping her hand in his before giving her fingers a squeeze. With that, he let go of her hand and allowed Natasha the chance to leave. With time to himself, Bucky turned back to his muffin and finally began to eat. He wouldn’t dare admit it out loud, but not eating for almost two weeks had definitely taken a toll on him.

And maybe Nat was right. Maybe he’d simply gotten himself emotionally invested in a romance that would have never lasted anyway. Who knew? Maybe Bucky would have gotten tired of Steve in a few months anyway, or the two discovered that they just weren’t compatible after all. Maybe this whole thing, finding out about Sharon and not prolonging the inevitable breakup, was the best thing for Bucky after all.

Maybe in due time he’d listen to Steve’s explanation, really put to rest his feelings for Steve and finally move on from this whirlwind summer romance. He wasn’t ready to talk to him yet.

But maybe someday soon...

* * *

The bakery was quiet. Thank fucking God for that; Steve _really_ didn’t want to see any customers that day. He really didn’t want to make any custom cakes or work on any anniversary treats, or… well, really even function. The thought of just closing up shop, eating the deficit for the week and curling back up in bed was more enticing than he wanted to admit.

Maybe he could sneak out the back while Tony and Sam weren’t looking…

 _‘Right,’_ he thought to himself bitterly. Steve glanced out to the front of the shop where Sam and Tony were chatting quietly, and stared ruefully at the two of them. _‘Because they have to keep an eye on me now. I forgot.’_

Sighing openly, Steve let his head fall back to the counter where he buried his head in his arms to shield out the world. His back was hurting from where he was hunched over on the little stool, but he didn’t care enough to move. It was the least he deserved. After two whole weeks, it was the least Steve deserved after hurting Bucky so terribly.

God, being single fucking sucked.

“Oh Sammy, I do wonder where our resident business owner has disappeared to, again?” Tony’s voice lilted from the front of the bakery, just as annoying as it had been all day. Steve grit his teeth and buried his head further in his arms.

“Don’t… don’t ever call me Sammy again,” Sam sighed. Footsteps approached the back of the bakery, and the light in the back triggered from the motion. Huh. Steve had been so immobile for so long, the lights had actually turned off. “Jesus Christ, Rogers, you look like shit.”

Steve sighed again. Looking up at his two friends, he offered them tired scowls before sitting up. He adjusted his spare glasses, trying to keep them from sliding down his nose and leaned back against the wall with a huff. “Fuck off, both of you,” he grumbled in exhaustion.

“Wow, do you kiss your mother with that mouth? And you always yell at me for swearing. My God,” Tony sniffed, looking highly offended. “We just came back here to check and make sure you’re not dying. Oh and to remind you that you have a damn business to run. That’s a little important, too.”

“To be entirely honest, Stark, I really don’t give a shit,” Steve said. He shook his head, reaching up to adjust his glasses again. He needed to get them tightened, or actually go pick up his replacements. But that took too much effort to even think about.

Sam and Tony didn’t speak for a moment. After a beat, Sam stepped forward, plopping down onto the stool next to Steve. He kicked his foot against the blond’s for a moment before reaching across the counter to grab the cookbook from the back wall. “You know… being single doesn’t look good on you. You turn into a whiny little punk.”

Steve flinched. He looked up at Sam, the sound of Bucky’s affectionate nickname for him sounding just horribly wrong on his tongue. “Please don’t call me that again,” he said earnestly. “Why are you two here anyway? I can take care of myself.”

“Somehow I actually doubt that,” Sam said. Looking up from the cookbook, he gave Steve a flat look. “Have you been eating? Sleeping? What happened since the break up?”

Steve frowned. He looked away from Sam, not really wanting to drudge up the past anymore. As much as the two of them looked annoyed with Steve, Steve knew the truth: Sam was genuinely worried about him, and from the look of it, so was Tony. He huffed, leaning against the counter to cup his face in his hands. “No. Neither one. I can’t… I can’t fucking let it go. I screwed up so badly and I pushed the one guy I loved more than anything away. He won’t even talk to me, and to be honest, I actually can’t blame him!”

Tony approached the counter. Leaning his palms against it, he looked down at Steve and his eyes softened. “So, I’m not totally in the loop here. You have been freakishly silent for a whole week. No patriotic remarks or standing up for the little guy or anything like that, and Sam’s been ridiculously tight lipped about it. What the hell happened with Barnes? Why did he dump you, you two were like… _totally_ in each other’s back pockets. It was unnerving, to be honest.”

Steve looked up at Tony. He bit his lip and inhaled. “I’m an asshole? I didn’t tell Bucky about Sharon when we met, Sharon got it in her head that she and I were still engaged after our fight, and she attacked him in the park. When I tried to explain what happened, he got upset with me and dumped me, because I wasn’t straight with him. Now he thinks I was using him as my side guy while I was planning a wedding with my ‘fiancée’.” He waved his hand in dismissal. “There, the abridged version.”

Tony flinched. Looking down at Sam, he whistled low and shook his head. “Ouch. Yeah. You fucked that shit up. That’s… even I wouldn’t forgive you for something like that and I’m one of the most morally ambiguous bastards out there. Good job.”

“Thanks,” Steve grumbled. He looked up at Tony and leveled him with a harsh look. “That really makes me feel better about this whole thing.”

Sam held his hand up, slapping Tony in the shoulder. “As much as that was motivating, I think I’m gonna have to step in here. After all, I’m the therapist.” Clearing his throat, Sam looked down at Steve, reaching for his shoulder again. He gripped it tightly and turned Steve to face him fully. “Look at me. We’re gonna have some words now, and you’re gonna listen without pouting for five minutes. Deal?”

Steve sighed. Nodding quietly, he looked up at Sam and gave him his full attention. “I’m listening…”

“Okay, good.” Sam inhaled. “Yeah, you blew it. You more than blew it. You blew it fantastically while fondling this fuck-ups balls, and this goes down in history as the biggest relationship blunder I have ever personally had to deal with. But sitting here, whining about it and letting your life go by isn’t going to magically make Bucky take you back.”

Steve listened. He fought the urge to let those words eat at him, and simply focused on staring at Sam’s face. Lord, he hoped he had some sage words for him. He didn’t want to hear his friend simply tell him he had to move on. There was no moving on from Bucky. There never would be.

“But,” Sam continued. “There is no guarantee that doing anything at all, is going to fix this _either_. There is a good possibility he’s done with you for good and you have to be prepared for it.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better, because neither of you are really helping,” Steve deadpanned.

Sam chose to ignore his statement and held a finger up to him. “Shut up for a second and listen. What I’m tryin’ to say is you need to actually sit him down and talk to him, one on one. At least one more time. Tell him exactly how you feel and what this is doing to you and tell him everything about Sharon. I mean _everything._ You fucked this up so you need to do what you can to make it right again. Understand me?”

Steve listened. His shoulders slumped a little and he nodded, feeling himself giving in just a little. Dammit, Sam was right. He had fucked up, but he could still do right by Bucky. He had to talk to him. At least try one more time to explain to him the truth of his mistake. At least then, he could possibly learn to let go of Bucky and move on with his life.

Would he ever love again? Maybe. Maybe not. Did it break his heart to think of it that way? _Yep_. But at least he could come out of this with the knowledge that he’d tried his best.

With that in mind, Steve inhaled and glanced at his friends. “Okay, okay. I’ll try and talk to him again. He _hates_ me, but I’ll try again.”

“That’s the spirit,” Tony said with a roll of his eyes. “Jesus, sounds like we’re pullin’ teeth. We just don’t want to see you moping anymore, you realize.”

“Yeah, I think I got that,” Steve said, more than annoyed now. He got to his feet, and undid the tie holding his apron on. Even though he hadn’t really done much that day, he still tossed it into the washing machine in the back and turned to his friends. “Uhm… you guys don’t mind keeping an eye on the shop while I’m gone, do you?”

“Nope. Not like we haven’t been doing that all day already,” Sam said, his tone flat. He pointed to the front door and gestured with his hand. “Go, get out of here. Go talk to him and see if you can salvage this relationship.”

Steve nodded. With that, he turned for the door and strode across the room. However, just as he passed the front counter, he hesitated. Shit, was he doing the right thing? Would Bucky even give him the chance to talk to him?

God, he hoped this worked. The little, childish part of him hoped like hell that this “talk” would magically cure their problems and bring Bucky back to him. He was a logical man. He was smart enough to know it probably wasn’t the case…

But wouldn’t that be fucking amazing.

Nervous, Steve turned back to the interior of the bakery, and leveled his friends with a hopeful look. “You think this’ll work?” he called, looking more than nervous.

“Get the fuck out of here, Rogers, and find out for yourself!”

Steve flinched, though he felt a small wiggle of hope in his chest. Maybe something good would come of this after all. As much as his friends were dicks, they had a point, and he was going to give it one last chance to fix this once and for all.

Determined, Steve turned towards the counter. He grabbed a little vial from the shelf and stuffed it into his pocket before turning and sprinting for the door. He had an idea of where Bucky might be. He just hoped he wasn’t too late to meet him there…

* * *

Bucky had no idea how long he’d been sitting at that café table. Long enough that all the ice in his coffee had melted finally, leaving the drink a little better than lukewarm at best. But he’d finished the muffin just like Natasha wanted. Maybe he could take his coffee home and throw it in the fridge for a while. It’d be a good little treat to have later that night.

But that required effort to get up again, and he was still reeling over the thought of possibly confronting Steve again. He didn’t want to, but… at the same time he did?

Emotions were so confusing.

However, Bucky didn’t have a chance to make a final decision on that. As he sat at the table, wallowing in his misery, he heard footsteps approaching him. Before he could look up, he heard the click of something glass connecting with the tabletop and he looked up to see a little vial sitting on the table. Upon closer inspection, Bucky realized it was a vial of sprinkles.

Brow furrowing, Bucky stared at the vial for a moment. It was then he realized they were heart shaped sprinkles, and attached to the vial was a tiny little piece of paper. He reached out, plucking up the vial to read the note, and when he did, he felt his chest constricting.

**I’m sorry**

He didn’t have to look up to know who had put them there. Feeling his stomach clenching up, Bucky slowly put the vial down on the table and took a deep breath to steady himself. “Hello, Steve,” he murmured quietly.

A throat cleared above him, and Bucky looked up in time to see Steve sit down across from him. Bucky took the moment to watch him for a moment, and he caught sight of Steve’s complexion; even in the shade, Bucky could see how worn and sad Steve looked. His eyes were dull and lifeless, with dark circles underneath them. His hair, usually neatly styled, was a mess on his head, and he looked like he hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days.

For a brief moment, Bucky actually felt sorry for him.

“Hey,” Steve murmured. He sat quietly across from Bucky, his hands wringing nervously in his lap. “… ‘snice day out,” he added, looking more than ashamed at his statement.

Bucky huffed, tearing his gaze from him. Dammit. He’d _just_ been eager to talk to Steve hash out their differences once and for all. But now that Steve was actually sitting right in front of him, looking so fucking miserable... now he didn’t want to talk to him at all.

“Yeah, nice day,” he said quietly.

Silence fell like an uncomfortable velvet blanket over them. In front of him, Bucky saw Steve shift before his attention turned to the little plate in front of him. “What’s that say?” Steve asked, pointing at the little chocolate word on the plate.

Bucky turned. Looking down at the plate, he saw the word **котенок** painted into the white porcelain and he shrugged. “Means kitten in Russian. Natasha’s family is Russian and her mom used t’call her that all the time when we were kids. In grade school, Nat started calling me “kitten” every time I was upset as a way to cheer me up. The habit stuck all the way through high school and she still calls me that.”

“Oh,” Steve murmured. His false cheer faded away to nothing at that revelation, and he looked down at the plate again. “I can- I can see that…”

Bucky didn’t answer him. Turning his attention away from Steve, he began to worry the muffin wrapper between his fingers, and chewed his bottom lip. _‘Don’t ask me how I am. Don’t ask me, don’t ask me…’_

Steve cleared his throat, his knuckles brushing across the tabletop. For a second, Bucky saw his hand inch across the table towards him, and his spine went rigid at the sight of it. “How have you been? I mean, since th-“

“Don’t,” Bucky snapped. Looking up at Steve, Bucky tore his hand from the table and stuff it into his lap. “Don’t, Steve. Don’t try and brush this off or sugar coat it.”

Steve flinched, lowering his gaze to the table again. “I just wanted- what I mean is, I wanted to make sure you’re okay. That’s… that’s all.”

Bucky stared at him for a moment. Scoffing loudly, he sat back in his seat and stared up at the blue sky above. “No, Steve. I ain’t okay. I ain’t been okay this whole time,” he said. Looking back at Steve, Bucky set his jaw, his whole body tense as he met his gaze again. “Why th’hell are you here?”

Steve looked him in the eye for a long moment before he deflated. Slumping back against the chair, he closed his eyes, rubbing his palms over his face to try and ground himself. After a moment, he inhaled and looked up at Bucky. For a brief moment, Bucky’s ire melted away at the sight before him; God, Steve looked so miserable… Bucky hated seeing him look so sad. “I’m here because I wanted to talk to you. And... And tell you I’m sorry for what happened.”

His earlier anger gone now, Bucky just felt tired. He stared at Steve before looking away from him. Without a word, he got to his feet and clenched his hands at his sides. “Y’know, I think you an’ I did this whole song and dance once before, and ain’t shit come out of it. Yer sorry. Fine, I believe ya. But y’need to leave now. It’s over and done with. We’re over and that’s that.”

Fuck it. Fuck what Natasha suggested. Bucky was never going to get over what Steve had done to him. The wound was too raw and too visceral to let go of. Maybe in a few months he might be willing to listen. But under two weeks? No. He wasn’t ready. He wouldn’t be for a long time.

However, as he pushed to walk past Steve and leave the café behind, he felt a hand shoot out and wrap around his wrist. Gasping, Bucky stopped in his tracks, looking back. What he saw made his throat clench up and his eyes burn brightly with tears.

Steve was staring at him, like he was his last lifeline on this planet. There was so much pain and so much regret in those blue eyes, it gave Bucky pause. Maybe… maybe, Steve really _was_ sorry for what had happened. Not that he’d been caught. But that he’d hurt him like this.

“Please,” Steve begged. His fingers tightened on Bucky’s wrist, thumb brushing tenderly over the pulse point in his arm. “Please, listen to me. I need to talk to you about this, Bucky. I need to tell you how fucking sorry I am for hurting you. I didn’t… I can’t do this without you.”

“Do-“ Bucky swallowed, licking his lips. “Do what?”

“Life. I can’t do it without you.” Steve inhaled, and it was shaky and uneven at best. At last, he finally loosened his fingers around Bucky’s wrist, letting his hand drop back to his lap. “Just… let me explain everything to you. Let me properly apologize to you for what I did. Just give me the chance to try and make it up to you. And if you still hate me in the end, then I’ll never bother you again. I swear it. Just please give me a chance, Buck. I’m begging you.”

Bucky stared at him. For a long moment, neither man spoke, the two of them simply staring at each other. Neither breathed nor moved an inch, the world turning around the two of them in this pivotal moment. It was up to Bucky. Steve had opened his veins and bared himself to Bucky. Now it was up to him to decide what to do with it.

And he knew, then and there, exactly what that was.

“… My apartment,” Bucky said quietly. Dropping his hand to his side, he looked down at the ground and shifted uncomfortably in his spot. “We’ll talk there. And my God, Steve you better make this worthwhile.”

Bucky had never seen someone move so fast in his life. Within seconds, Steve was on his feet and next to Bucky. He had a look so hopeful and so relieved, it actually made Bucky’s chest ache with it. The hope was infectious. He was amazed to find he actually felt a little lighter than he had just moments ago.

But he wasn’t going to let Steve see that. He still had to plead his case to him. He still had to explain himself. And Bucky still had to decide what the fuck he was going to do with that.

So with that, Bucky turned and led him from the café. The two of them didn’t speak as they made their way back to Bucky’s apartment, side by side. Their shoulders barely brushed as they moved, as if they were both too afraid to touch the other. Deep down, Bucky prayed he wasn’t making a mistake doing this.

After a long, tense walk, the two of them finally arrived back at the apartment. Buck let them inside, where the two of them were assaulted by a frantic puppy. He watched as Zima launched herself at Steve, yapping desperately as she weaved his legs and pawed at him for attention. To see Steve bending to greet her with the biggest smile on his face, made Bucky’s heart crack further in his chest as his walls began to crumble just a little bit. But they weren’t there to play with the puppy. They were there to talk, and talk they would, dammit.

“Hey, y’don’t mind if I put her in the bedroom right now, yeah?” Bucky asked. “Kinda… kinda think we need to talk about this without distraction.”

Steve looked up at Bucky. He instantly put his hands in his lap, nodding up at him. His expression was spoke volumes; even though he was disappointed in not getting to let the puppy sit in his lap like some fluffy stress ball, he was going to do everything to respect Bucky’s wishes. “Yeah, sure, Buck. I think you’re probably right.”

Bucky nodded. With that, he walked over and plucked the puppy from the floor; he carried her to his bedroom, where he locked her inside with her favorite chew toy. Once the dog was secure, Bucky turned and inhaled slowly, ready to steel himself for the confrontation.

However, the minute he exited the hallway, a thrill of anxiety washed over him and he diverted to the kitchen for a second. He wasn’t avoiding, just… preparing for battle, as it were. He quickly fished out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from the cupboard, balancing his weapons of choice in his hands before closing his eyes. He offered up one quick, silent prayer for strength, and turned back to the living room, where Steve sat obediently on the sofa. This was it. The moment of truth.

Offering up a strained smile, Bucky crossed over into the living room and sat on the opposing chair from Steve. He could feel the sting against his skin; he really wanted to sit next to him, but… no, it wasn’t appropriate. Not yet...

“Figured, we could probably use this,” Bucky said, holding up the whiskey. He offered a weak smile and looked away from him. “Y’can yell at me fer drinkin’ at 2 in the afternoon later if ya want. I figured this jus’ might loosen us up a little bit.”

“No, you’re… you’re spot on,” Steve said. He looked relieved as he reached out to take an empty glass from Bucky. Setting the glass down in front of him, he poured himself a drink, and took a swig, hissing at the burn of alcohol. “So uhm… wh-where do we start?”

Bucky shrugged. He too took a sip of whiskey and tucked himself up into the recliner, his feet folded beneath himself as he watched him. “Why don’ ya start with why you came over to th’café today? You knew I didn’t wanna talk to you. So why did you come over anyway?”

Steve sighed. He tore his gaze away from Bucky, reaching into his pocket quietly. With that, he withdrew the vial of heart shaped sprinkles again and set them down on the table. Well then. Bucky hadn’t even seen him pick them up before they left the café. “Because I couldn’t let-“ he stopped. Swallowing thickly, he looked up at Bucky, his eyes shining behind the frames of his beat up, brown tortoise shells. “… Because I couldn’t keep letting you be mad at me without me apologizing to you in the way you best deserved it.”

“And you thought a vial of sprinkles was gonna be the golden ticket,” Bucky deadpanned. He looked up at Steve, really taking notice of his face before he frowned. The hell? Steve was wearing some ugly brown tortoise shell glasses. Had he been wearing them in the grocery store? “What happened t’yer black frames?”

Steve shrugged. He looked down at his hands, before taking another nervous sip of whiskey. “Kinda- sorta broke ‘em. Right after we broke up.” Bucky frowned. He let his gaze linger on Steve’s sad face for a moment. But before he could question how that happened, Steve spoke up again.

“Also, I didn’t think sprinkles were gonna magically fix the problem. I have to do that, not some cheesy apology letter. I just figured… I just figured it would be a good way to break the ice and get you to talk to me without you wanting to kick my balls in. Or sic Brock on me.”

Bucky snorted. He looked down at his whiskey, feeling a little bubble of humor welling up in his chest. Huh. He hadn’t felt the need to properly laugh in almost two weeks. Go figure. “For the record, I didn’ sic him on ya in th’first place. He sorta took that upon himself.”

“I figured,” Steve murmured with a smile.

The two of them went quiet again, though this time the tension in the room wasn’t nearly as thick as it had been. Sprinkles, it seemed, had been a good way to break the ice after all.

But now it was time to hit the heavy stuff, and Bucky wasn’t going to hold back. Looking up at Steve, he offered him a look that spoke volumes of his hurt and heartbreak. “Okay, so tell me this now: why didn’t you tell me about Sharon? Why did ya wait until she cold-cocked me in the fuckin’ face to let me know you were datin’ me on the side of yer engagement?”

“I didn’t-“ Steve sighed. He scrubbed his fingers through his hair before pouring himself another glass of whiskey. “Okay, this is gonna be the weirdest thing I’ve ever had to explain in my life so just… bear with me okay?” When Bucky nodded, listening intently to him, Steve continued. “I didn’t know okay? I didn’t know she still had it in her head that we were still engaged.”

Bucky scoffed. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, feeling residual anger bubbling up his throat at that explanation. _‘What a fuckin’ joke’_ he thought to himself bitterly at Steve’s words. Figured, it would be a lame ass excuse like that.

But before he could voice his opinion on that, Steve held a hand up to stop him in his tracks. “I know that sounds stupid, and believe me I’m taking all the blame for all of this. But it’s true. When I realized I was falling in love with you, I tried to break off our engagement with her. She instigated a fight with me, which resulted in the two of us saying we were never speaking to each other again. I literally took that as our break up. She blocked my Facebook and would not contact me at all. Hell, she’s had my number blocked for nearly two months now, even before she and I broke it off. So when we told each other we didn’t want to speak anymore and neither of us were talking to each other anymore…” Steve sighed. Slumping back into the sofa, he stared at Bucky sadly. “That’s that. I literally thought we were broken up. I had no clue she thought it was just a bad fight because she never came back to me.”

Bucky listened, and his anger abated. Looking up at Steve, he worried his lower lip between his teeth before frowning. “And you didn’ contact her because in yer mind you two were over anyway, so why bring up more pain and fighting,” he supplied, finishing Steve’s thought.

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

Bucky inhaled. Tightening his grip on the glass, he felt his resolve beginning to crack a little. Dammit. He actually believed him, which only made the pain in his chest hurt that much more. “So- so if that’s the case, then how come ya didn’ tell me about her before you two almost-broke up?” Bucky asked. “All those little dates we went on, and the kissin’. Hell, that day we were makin’ out in here after that movie marathon. You two weren’t broken up yet. Y’only fought 8 hours before you and I slept together. How come ya didn’ say anything about her then?”

Steve shook his head. He offered a pathetic shrug and closed his eyes. “In the beginning, I didn’t think you liked me like that. I thought maybe you only liked me as a friend, so I didn’t want to bring up the engagement because-“ he offered a derisive laugh. “Stupidest reason in the world, but I thought me telling you about her would push you away. At that point, I was already considering breaking up with her, and then I really started developing feelings for you and just started spending all my free time with you, getting to know you. To be honest, Bucky, it all just got away from me. I’m the biggest idiot in the world, and… a-and I’m never gonna be able to forgive myself for hurting you like that.”

Bucky listened. He took in his words, and the tension in his chest grew and grew until he could barely breathe. He looked up at Steve, his eyes shining a little. “To be fair, I didn’t tell ya about my exes at all in the beginnin’ either,” he offered. “An’ I only told ya about Jake after the fact.”

“Yeah, but they were your _exes_ ,” Steve said miserably. “To be totally honest, you telling me about your exes wouldn’t have mattered to me, because they were already in the past. Sharon wasn’t. It’s no comparison, Buck…”

Bucky’s heart fluttered. Steve wasn’t displacing blame or trying to talk his way out of his mistake. He really was accepting the blame wholeheartedly. No wonder he looked like he was being eaten alive from the inside out. “Right, but- maybe you would have understood why this hit me so badly if I’d been honest too.”

Sitting up, Bucky tucked his legs further beneath himself, and set his glass down. Crossing his arms defensively over his chest, he curled into the chair as small as he possibly could and averted his gaze from Steve. “I told you about Jake, and I wasn’t lyin’ when I said I only had one other boyfriend besides you. But what I left out was what he did t’me. There’s a reason why I got so upset over this thing with Sharon.”

Looking up from his little ball of misery, Bucky saw Steve watching him intently, hanging onto his every word. Another crack in his iron walls formed at the absolute devotion and sadness he saw in Steve’s features. “Alex… Alex Pierce was my second boyfriend. Some bigshot business executive that traveled cross country all the time for work. I met him when I was fixin’ up his Porsche durin’ my trainin’ year back at the garage I was workin’ at part time. Guess he thought it was real impressive that I was still in technical school and was able to fix his car like new for ‘im. He gave me his number after we talked for a while and that’s how we started datin’.

Bucky sighed. “I may or may not have lied about where I learned a lot of my skills in bed from. Most of it I learned from Alex. He was into some really weird, kinky shit, and I was his guinea pig when he found somethin’ new to try out. I guess I shoulda figure out then that that’s all I was good for according to ‘im.”

Bucky tucked his head, letting his bangs fall in front of his face. He didn’t want to see Steve’s face when he told him this next part. “But I was so damn smitten by him I was just blind to all his bullshit. He never wanted to be seen in public with me, except for the day he left me. He was always gone, and never contacted me when he was away. We only went to his place on rare occasions, and I found out the hard way why that was. But I was so fuckin’ stupid, Stevie. I didn’t see it comin’ and I will call myself stupid until the day I die, lettin’ myself get obsessed over him.”

“What happened?” Steve asked. His voice was hushed as if he were afraid to disturb the atmosphere of the room around them. His eyes were wide in unease and he was clutching his glass tightly in his lap.

Bucky inhaled. He hiccupped on the breath and he closed his eyes. “He was married. He’d been married for 4 years when I met him and I never figured it out durin’ the year we were together. I was fuckin’ blinded by the fact that some rich person with property, status, and shit, could actually like someone as poor and pathetic as me. I thought maybe Alex looked past the fact that I was basically homeless and freakish lookin’, and actually liked me for who I was. Turned out, he only wanted t’fuck me because he felt like it was safe to do so. Like I was so desperate for a partner I’d let him do anything to me to keep him.”

“Jesus,” Steve breathed. His eyes were wide in shock and agony, and he sat forward on the sofa. “Jesus, Buck, I’m… I didn’t know, I’m so sorry-“

Bucky laughed. It was watery and pained, and he shook his head. “I was a fuckin’ idiot. Didn’t even see it comin’ when he invited me out to the ritziest place imaginable just to humiliate me in public by having his wife come meet me. Then he was just gone. Got bored with me, basically, and left me behind. That was three years ago, and I ain’t been with anyone since then, because I was so scared of it happenin’ again. Plenty of one night stands and shit, but… no other relationships. Until you came along and I fell in love with you.”

Bucky inhaled sharply. He felt a sting at the corners of his eyes and he looked up at Steve, unafraid to show him the tears now. “So now ya fuckin’ get why I got so upset over Sharon? Why I got so mad at you and dumped ya after that? It happened to me again, Steve. You of all people shouldn’t have done that to me, and you did. You were the only guy I’d ever really fallen in love with, truly, and then this shit happened!”

Steve uttered a choked sound of pain. Putting his glass down, Steve got up from the sofa and immediately rounded the table. He dropped down to his knee in front of Bucky, reaching out and threading their fingers together. “I know, Buck. I know, and I’m so, unbelievably fucking sorry for what I did!” Steve exclaimed. Looking up at him, he offered Bucky a pained expression, his eyes shining with tears. “I’m so fucking sorry for what I did to you. I won’t forgive myself for pushing you away like that, I swear to God. I love you so fucking much, and it’s tearing me up that I caused you so much pain and pushed you away from me.” Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Bucky’s fingers, rubbing them over the cracked, scraped knuckles from hours and hours of hard labor. “Please just believe me when I say I love you more than anything else on this planet. I don’t blame you if you’re done with me, and I won’t ever hold it against you. I just couldn’t let this go without showing you how sorry I am for this. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear it…”

Bucky watched him. At long last, the cracks spider webbing through his walls came together, shattering his resolve completely. Like a damn, all his emotions welled up at once and he felt himself exposed and raw underneath Steve’s apologies. His heart clenched painfully in his chest until he was sure he was having a heart attack. A wail left him at that and huge, fat tears rolled down his cheeks. Without hesitation, he tugged on his hands, yanking Steve up until the other was practically draped over his lap.

Without a word, Bucky cupped Steve’s face in his hands, tilting his head back to place heartbroken kisses across the bridge of his nose. He reached up, plucking Steve’s glasses from his face before brushing his fingers into his hair to anchor him to his front. He whimpered loudly as he pressed dozens upon dozens of kisses into his skin, peppering them over his eyes, his brow, and finally his lips with desperation.

He felt a shiver of delight in his chest at the feeling of Steve’s arms wrapping around his waist to pull him close. Bucky slumped right out of the chair, sitting in Steve’s lap as he wrapped his legs around his waist. Without hesitation, he threaded his fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck and tugged Steve into a ravenous kiss. Lips brushed and pressed with bruising force as their teeth clicked from the intensity of it all. With a whimper, Bucky tilted his head, demanding more and more from Steve’s kisses until he got what he asked for. He could feel the blond going pliant beneath him and he whimpered into the kiss.

Wrapping his teeth around Steve’s bottom lip, he gave the flesh a sharp nip, tugging slightly until he could feel him gasp beneath him. Releasing him, Bucky pulled back from the kiss and pressed his forehead to Steve’s for a moment. His breath came out in ragged puffs, and tears streamed down his cheeks as he opened his eyes to meet his gaze. “That’s the thing, Stevie… I still fuckin’ love you! I ain’t done with you. I don’t wanna ever be done and I’m sorry I broke up with you!” he whimpered.

Steve cooed, brushing his fingers through his dark hair. He, too, had tears in his eyes as he looked up at him, and he nodded. The gesture was frantic, and he leaned in to press his lips to Bucky’s again. “I’m not done with you either, Buck. I swear it. I’m gonna do what I can to make up for what I did to you.” Leaning back, he gripped Bucky’s fingers in his hand and pressed little kisses to his palms, one by one. “If you’ll have me back, Bucky, I’m not going anywhere. I promise you, I’m not, and I’m gonna do right by you for the rest of my life if I can.”

Bucky nodded. Pulling his hands free, he gripped Steve’s shoulders. He met his gaze for a long moment, reading his eyes for a lie in them. Was he trying to pull one over on him? Was he just trying to needle him back into a relationship that wouldn’t last anyway? Those worries plagued Bucky’s mind, leaving him skittish and worried in Steve’s grip.

But the longer he stared at him, the more he realized Steve wasn’t lying. He truly was sorry for what had happened and wanted to make up for what he’d done. Bucky knew, then and there, that he never stood a chance against Steve. Even if he wanted to leave him for good, he was simply too in love with him to let him go. And now? Now he truly believed that Steve didn’t want to let him go either.

Without a word, Bucky allowed himself to finally let go of his mistrust and tumble right back into the arms of the man he’d very nearly walked away from for good. With a huff, he tightened his fingers on Steve’s shoulders, and shoved him down to the floor. He listened as Steve uttered a surprised noise at being shoved to the floor and Bucky tightened his fingers on his shoulders. Without a word, he slotted himself between Steve’s thighs, pinning him to the floor of his apartment as he pressed hungry kisses up the expanse of his throat. “You fuckin’ idiot, of course I want you back.” Bucky murmured between kisses.

Without waiting for a response, Bucky turned his head and pressed his lips right into the pulse point of Steve’s throat. Baring his teeth, he bit down onto the sensitive skin, digging his teeth in for a moment before lapping the flat of his tongue over the mark in a gentle touch. He felt Steve shudder beneath him and utter a low moan, and the sound sent a thrill of excitement to his very core.

Pulling back, Bucky found himself staring at the mark he’d left behind on his skin. He took the time to admire its beauty against the expanse of Steve’s pale throat, licking his lips in hunger at the sight of it. But the longer he stared at it, the more he came to realize something:

Steve hadn’t totally and 100% been his this whole time, and that was just not going to fucking fly.

All at once, the anger and distaste Bucky had been harboring for the past two weeks, rolled to the surface again, making his blood boil. He stared down at the mark on Steve’s throat, tracing his index finger over it before he leaned in again. No. Fuck that bitch. Fuck Sharon and everything she ever stood for. Steve had made it painfully clear that he was giving her up for Bucky, and swore to only be Bucky’s.

Now he was going to make _damn fucking sure_ the world knew it.

Growling in barely concealed jealousy, Bucky leaned in, wrapping his lips around that mark again. He bit down, sucking harder than ever on that spot until he felt Steve buck underneath him with a gasp. Worrying his teeth into the mark, Bucky bit again, sinking his teeth into the mark until he could feel the skin begin to give way. Only then did he let go, leaning back to admire the bite mark he’d left on Steve’s throat.

“Mine,” he hissed. Leveling Steve with a possessive look, he grabbed his wrists and yanked them from his waist. Envy, anger, and growing lust began to boil beneath the surface of his skin, and he gripped Steve’s wrists tighter still. Lifting them above his head, Bucky pinned Steve’s arms to the floor, holding him steady as he met his gaze again. “You really mean everything you said to me?”

Steve gasped. A bright flush colored his cheeks, leaving him pink and weak beneath Bucky’s grip. He nodded, looking up at him with wide eyes, twisting his wrists in his fingers. “Yeah. Yeah, Buck, I do mean it.”

“You’re _sure_?” Bucky asked again. He tightened his fists on Steve’s wrists, until he was sure he was bruising the skin beneath his fingers. He watched with satisfaction as Steve grimaced at the pressure on his wrists. But when it became clear that Steve wasn’t going to fight back after all, Bucky loosened his grip. He let go of Steve’s left hand to reach up and cup his cheek in his palm. “You’re absolutely sure. ‘Cause I ain’t doin’ this again. I can’t have my heart broken again, Stevie. And I sure as hell can’t have _you_ do it to me a second time.”

“I’m sure!” Steve gasped. He writhed beneath Bucky’s grip, rocking his hips up against his groin in a frantic roll of his body. Without a word, Steve wiggled his leg free from beneath the weight of Bucky’s torso and wrapped it around his back to grind up against him. “I swear it. I won’t ever hurt you again, Bucky. I promise with everything I got I’ll be honest with you from now on. Please.”

Bucky hummed under his breath. He looked down between the two of them, where Steve was undulating his hips against his own, watching his body intently. At his begging and pleading, Bucky found himself growing warm under the collar, his own cock filling in. He uttered a little moan in response to Steve’s rutting hips, and pressed down to grind them both into the floor beneath them.

It was with hurried gestures, the two of them rocked and rutted up against each other on the floor of his apartment. Bucky could hear the faint whines of Zima in the bedroom, her scratching nails begging to be let out. He resolutely ignored the puppy; he could make it up to her later for imprisoning her. This was more important.

Leaning down, Bucky lapped at the side of Steve’s throat. He ran the flat of his tongue over the bruise he left in his skin, and relished the feeling of Steve shivering beneath him. With a chuckle, he nosed his way along the edge of his jaw to the other side of his throat and bit down again. Without hesitation, he ground his hips down in a vicious rut, pushing Steve’s hips back against the floor.

Steve gasped out a sob, his fingertips digging into Bucky’s shoulders as he held him still. “Oh God,” he gasped through his arousal. He tightened his leg around Bucky’s hips, drawing himself closer to him desperately. “Oh God, Yes…”

“What?” Bucky asked. Pulling back, he stared down at the blond beneath him, his eyes flashing dangerously. A wicked smile touched his lips as he met the sight of flushed skin and dilated pupils. “What do you want from me, Stevie? You wanna fuck? Is that how you’re gonna show me you want me?”

“I-if that’s what you want,” Steve replied. He focused his gaze on Bucky’s face, biting his lower lip as he stared up at him hopefully. “If that’s what you want then, yes. I wanna fuck. Please fuck me?” he let his hands trail down the broad expanse of Bucky’s back, his fingernails digging into his flesh through the t-shirt he wore. “Please fuck me. I don’t wanna be anyone else’s but yours.”

“Yer damn fuckin’ right,” Bucky snarled back. Pulling away from him, Bucky grabbed his leg and yanked it from his hips. He threw his leg to the side, splaying Steve’s groin to him. Without hesitation, Bucky snaked his way down to Steve’s lap, where he attacked the button of his jeans desperately. Ripping the denim open, Bucky tugged sharply on the cloth to pull them down his hips without preamble. He could see the line of Steve’s cock through the layer of his underwear, and he made a show of ghosting his fingertips over the twitching length.

He listened with delight as Steve whimpered, high and reedy in the back of his throat, and he wrapped his fingers around his girth. He gave a few cursory strokes through the thin fabric of his briefs, eliciting another whine from Steve before he pulled back. Without a word, Bucky sat on his heels as he worked the underwear off of Steve’s lower half to expose him to the air around them.

“Yer so fuckin’ hard already. Is this what you want?” Bucky asked. He looked up at Steve, fire dancing in his eyes. He reached down, wrapping his fingers around his length and began to stroke, fast and jerking. He could feel the friction against his palm, hot and vicious on his skin. He could only imagine what Steve was feeling at that point.

Beneath him, Steve bucked up into his fist. He tightened his own fingers at his sides, thumping his fist against the floor with a cry so loud, he was sure half of Brooklyn heard it. “God! Oh _fuck_ , yes please! Please, Bucky!” He squeezed his eyes shut, rocking and writhing beneath his onslaught as his head tossed back and forth on the floor.

“So you wanna show me how much you want me by lettin’ me fuck you right here on the floor?” Bucky asked. He quickened the pace of his hand, listening to the ‘slick’ of his palm over his silken flesh pick up speed. “You want me to fuck you on the floor like a little slut? Is that it? Huh?!”

“YES!” Steve gritted out. He tore his eyes open, staring up at Bucky with desperation. “Fuck yes, please, please oh God, Buck, just _fuck_ me! I want to feel you inside me. I don’t want to know anyone else!”

Bucky suddenly stilled his hand. He tightened his fist around his length, feeling his stiff cock twitching viciously in his palm. He listened to the wail of Steve’s desperation as he tried to fuck his hips up into his hand for more stimulation.

Well that wouldn’t do at all.

Growling beneath his breath, Bucky loomed over Steve’s figure. He stared down at him, his fist tightening around his cock for a moment more before he tore his hand away from him. Without waiting, Bucky shoved Steve’s shirt up his torso, exposing the plains of his stomach to him. With his eyes on the prize, Bucky leaned down and wrapped his lips around a nipple. He sucked and laved his tongue over the erect bud of flesh for a moment before he bared his teeth. He grazed his teeth across the mound of Steve’s pectoral and with a snarl, bit into the flesh so hard he could almost taste blood.

“FUCK!” Steve shouted. He went taut under Bucky’s onslaught, his head bowed back against the floor. Bucky only hummed again, keeping his teeth anchored in his skin as he flicked and fluttered his tongue over his nipple relentlessly. “Fuck me! _Auuhnnn_ fuck me Bucky!”

With a hiss, Bucky unlatched his teeth from his chest. He stared down at the bite mark, admiring the purpling bruise forming on his skin. He could see the perfect indentation of teeth in his skin, and his own cock throbbed painfully in his jeans. Without a word, Bucky leaned back and ripped his own jeans open, pulling his dick free. He fisted himself for a moment, pumping his hand over his length to get himself nice and hard before scooting up Steve’s body.

“I will, baby. Don’t you fuckin’ worry about that,” Bucky cooed. He accented his intentions by grabbing Steve’s shoulder and forcing him to lean back against his elbows. With the blond propped up in front of him, Bucky straddled his chest and held his dick up, butting the tip of it against Steve’s lips. “Suck.”

Without hesitation, Steve complied. He whimpered in the back of his throat as he dug his fingertips into Bucky’s jean-clad hips. With a happy little sound, he leaned in and wrapped his lips around his cock, swallowing him down as far as he could. With an eager little moan, Steve bobbed his head back and forth, sucking and laving his tongue around his length as his lips stroked the length in his mouth. Seconds passed and Steve looked up at Bucky through his eyelashes, up past the rims of his glasses as he sucked and swallowed, giving him what he could.

Bucky moaned. Reaching up, he threaded his fingers into the strands of his golden hair, tugging them at the roots as he pulled Steve closer. He felt the tip of his cock butt up against the back of his throat and he heard Steve gag around the tip before struggling to swallow. But this time, Bucky didn’t stop. Tugging on his hair, Bucky drilled his cock into his throat, groaning through gritted teeth as he rolled his hips back. “Don’t fuckin’ stop,” he ordered.

Beneath him, Steve nodded; Bucky’s cock was still firmly embedded in his mouth, and he tickled the tip of his tongue along the veiny underside of his prick with devotion.

Bucky watched him. He watched the flush of his cheeks creep down his jaw and over his throat, coloring his ears bright red and painting red splotches down his neck to his shoulders. He nodded at Steve, his eyes still burning with righteousness. Pulling back, he left the tip of his dick in his mouth before he wrapped his other hand around the back of his head. Then, with a huff, he rocked forward, thrusting back into his mouth and picking up a brutal pace.

God, Steve’s mouth was a fucking Godsend. Bucky moaned loudly, his head falling back as he fucked his mouth hungrily. He felt Steve choking and gagging around the blunt tip each time it brushed the backs of his tonsils, but he still didn’t let up. There was absolutely no way he was going to stop now. Not until every ounce of pain and misery Steve’s lie had tattooed into his heart was wiped clean once again. He wanted him more than anything. Steve said he wanted him in return.

This was the only way Bucky could unleash his rage and his betrayal and break down those walls he’d erected to keep Steve out.

Minutes passed as Bucky pleasured himself inside Steve’s throat. Beneath him, a choked whimper ebbed into the room. Bucky tore his eyes open to look down at his lover, and he was met with the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Beneath him, Steve had shoved those hideous tortoise shell glasses off of his face to clatter to the floor, giving Bucky a perfect view of his eyes. Tears were streaming down his reddened face, unbidden with each choke and each thrust that gagged him relentlessly. His lips were pulled taut, bright red from the friction and coated with a layer of spit. Hell, even a line of saliva had dribbled its way down his chin, hanging precariously on the edge of his face before dropping to stain the t-shirt hiked up his chest. He was a fucking thing of beauty, and Bucky was going to claim that man so deeply, no one could ever take him away again.

Uttering a whine of his own, Bucky pulled back, withdrawing his cock from his lips as he sat heavily on Steve’s bared lap. He could feel the hard line of his cock pressing against his thigh where he sat and he watched in satisfaction as Steve choked, inhaling raggedly through his abused lips. But Bucky didn’t give him a chance to recover.

Instead, he leaned in, crashing the blond into a rough kiss and pinning him back against the sofa. Teeth gnashed and clicked together, saliva smeared across their faces as they made out so hard they could bleed. As Bucky pushed Steve into that kiss, he bit and tugged on his lips sharply, before pulling back to give him a dark look. “Get on your hands and knees.”

“Okay,” Steve panted. Instantly, he clambered up from the floor and got into position. He looked up at Bucky, his shirt rumpled and wrinkled around his shoulders to expose his back to Bucky. Christ, his blush had made it all the way down to his back, coloring Steve’s entire upper body in a red sheen.

Bucky nodded. He leaned in, letting his palm run up and down the expanse of his back. He soothed him for a moment, raking his fingernails over his skin to leave red lines in his wake. When he reached Steve’s backside, he flattened his palm and struck him, hard and fast, across his right ass cheek. He listened to Steve’s cry of pleasure and he hummed loudly in delight. He struck again and again, spanking him hard and vicious until he left a handprint sized red mark on the white flesh of his ass. “Is this how I’m gonna hafta show you what you did was wrong? Is this how I’m gonna have to punish you? By spankin’ you like a bad boy? You gonna lie to me again, Stevie?” Bucky reared back, cracking his palm over his backside again. If Steve was begging for rough treatment, then dammit would Bucky give it to him.

“N-No! No I won't lie again!” Steve cried. He dropped his head to the floor, pounding his fist against the wood as he rocked back against Bucky’s strikes. His cock, red and hard, drooled precome across the floor beneath him. Every so often, he glanced back at Bucky, his eyes streaming with tears as he rocked his hips desperately. “I won’t lie again, I swear Bucky. I’m sorry!”

“Yer sorry?” Bucky asked. Pulling his strike, he ran his palm over the reddened mark for a moment. Christ, Steve’s entire backside was red and hot to the touch now. He soothed the stinging for a moment before returning to his previous work, spanking him until the room echoed with the sound of skin meeting skin. “Yer sorry for what? Speak up, baby.”

“I-I’m sorry for lying to you!” Steve gasped. He twisted and turned under Bucky’s touches, sobbing openly at the onslaught on his backside. “I’m sorry for keepin’ such a secret from you! I won’t do it again! I swear, Bucky, _please!”_

That seemed to do the trick. With Steve’s apology and his weeping guilt overtaking him, Bucky finally stilled his hand. He looked down at the blond, watching him heave for breath beneath him. His cock, twitching dangerously between his legs, continued to spill precome across the floor in a never ending torrent. His arousal was so strong, Bucky could smell it on him. His anger finally dissipated at that, and he smoothed his hands over Steve’s ass to take away the burn of his flesh.

“Yer so good for me baby,” Bucky breathed. He leaned down, running his tongue over the red mark on his cheek. With a smirk, he bared his teeth and bit again, marking up his cheek just at the fleshiest part of his ass and bruising the tender skin there. He’d love to see Steve try to sit without squirming after that.

“Fuuuuck!” Steve whined into the room. He pushed back against Bucky’s mouth, seeking out more of his teeth as he tightened his fingers into the floor. “ _God_ , Bucky, just fuck me! Please!” he begged openly. Turning his head, he looked back at Bucky, his eyes shining and glazed over. He looked totally wrecked already, and they hadn’t even truly begun.

Grinning openly, Bucky looked up at Steve, his own eyes bright as his fingers traced down his back to his shoulders. With a twist of his wrist, Bucky flipped Steve over to his back, where Steve landed in a boneless pile of arousal. Straddling his waist, Bucky leaned into another hungry kiss, soothing away his pain with affection. Instantly, he could feel Steve leaning up into those kisses to wrap his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and grind his leaking cock up against his denim covered leg.

Bucky laughed. It wasn’t a cruel laugh. Rather, he laughed to see Steve yearning to make up for his mistake so badly, he ached with it. Finally, Bucky could feel the dregs of forgiveness begin to take over him, pushing away his anger and finally giving him the peace he was looking for. Pulling back from his lover, Bucky stared down at him with growing devotion, a smile lighting his features. “Okay, baby, just relax. We’re gonna go further, I promise.”

Smiling down at him, Bucky leaned in to press him into another kiss. This kiss was a little more gentle, more soothing as he brought Steve’s arousal down a few notches. As he kissed him, he traced his fingers up Steve’s chest to his throat, where he pressed them around the girth of Steve’s neck to push him back against the floor. He really only thought to use it as leverage to hold him still.

He hadn’t anticipated on Steve reaching up and pressing his hand into his windpipe.

Breaking the kiss for a moment, Bucky stared down at Steve, confusion etched in his eyes as he stared at him. “What’re you doin’?” he asked, panting openly.

Whimpering, Steve looked up at Bucky with teary eyes and nodded at him. “I trust you. I should have trusted you from the beginning. I’m never gonna make that mistake again,” he breathed. With a huff, Steve pushed Bucky’s hand against his throat harder, until Bucky could hear his breathing coming out in a wheeze. “I didn’t- didn’t let myself believe in you. Now I do and I want you- you to show me how wrong I was.”

Bucky stared at him for a beat, his eyes widening. Shit. Steve trusted him that much? His fingers tightened just a little around his throat and he heard the whistle of his breathing as his throat was constricted. It was so easy; anyone could lose themselves in their anger and simply snuff out the figure beneath them; the figure that had wronged them so deeply.

It was so _easy_ , and that’s why Steve trusted him more than anyone else on this planet.

Swallowing, Bucky felt his cock jump with the thought and he shuddered in Steve’s lap. Leaning down, Bucky wrapped his lips around his earlobe and bit, swelling the flesh between his teeth. He heard Steve cry out at the bite, and he moaned right back in delight. Yeah, he could definitely get on board with this.

“Okay, baby. Okay,” Bucky murmured. Pulling back, he climbed off of Steve’s lap and pointed at the floor. “We’re gonna do this the right way. You understand me? You listen to me and you trust me that what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna give you exactly what you need. You stay right there. Don’t move.”

Steve nodded. Laying back against the floor, Steve watched him with utter devotion, tugging at his t-shirt where it lay bunched up on his chest. His pants had long since been discarded to the other side of the room, lost to the world around them. Bucky really liked the way Steve looked like this.

Smiling down at him, Bucky clambered to his feet. He tucked himself back into his pants long enough to dart down the hall to his bedroom. He opened the door just enough to squeeze past Zima without letting her get out and made for the side table of his bed. There, he grabbed their lube from the drawer and immediately vacated the room to return to Steve’s side. Sure enough, Steve hadn’t moved from his spot, leaving Bucky grinning like crazy at the sight of him. Christ, his cock hadn’t flagged once since he left him.

They were definitely going to have a little fun.

Dropping down to the floor, Bucky shoved his jeans down his thighs and slotted himself between Steve’s legs. Without a thought, he grabbed the blond’s bare legs and wrapped them around his waist, leaving his red ass elevated to him. Gripping his thighs tightly, Bucky lifted Steve’s hips into the air, balancing the blond back on his shoulders and baring his ass to him. “Hold yerself up, baby,” Bucky ordered.

When Steve adjusted his arms to prop himself up more, Bucky took his legs and threw them over his shoulders. With a hungry sound in his throat, Bucky immediately leaned in, lapping his tongue over the twitching pucker of Steve’s ass. He licked, prodded and poked his tongue against his opening, thrusting into the ring of muscle quickly as he licked around inside his channel. Just as he remembered, Steve tasted earthy and warm, and totally his for the taking.

Bucky moaned pushing his cheeks into the rounds of Steve’s ass as he worked to eat him out. He fluttered his tongue inside his channel, laving all over to get him nice and wet before he curled his tongue inside the ring of muscle to pull out with a ‘pop’. He listened as Steve whimpered and whined beneath his onslaught before he dove back in, pushing his tongue back inside of him.

It was quick and dirty. He didn’t take time to work his finger into his ass, simply using his tongue to massage and rub at Steve’s hole. Driven by the whimpers and gasps escaping Steve, Bucky pushed on, sucking around the entrance once before pulling back to spit on his hole. He could feel Steve trembling beneath him, struggling to hold himself up, and he tightened his fingers on his thigh in warning. “Hold yerself up. I ain’t gonna do it for ya.”

“O-Okay, Bucky…” Steve whined. He adjusted his arms, pressing them along the floor in a broad stance to hold himself up. His head was cocked to the side, his neck bent as he pushed his shoulders further back into the floor for more support. He looked deliciously beautiful, bent awkwardly like that and using up every ounce of strength to hold himself up like that.

Bucky hummed, shaking his head to wiggle his tongue inside him. He pushed deeper still, flicking his tongue again and again as he loosened and worked Steve open. It was only when he could feel Steve’s thighs trembling viciously on either side of his head, did he finally relent. Pulling back, he gave one last lick over Steve’s hole before turning his head to press his lips into the soft meat of his thigh. He kissed up and down the length of skin before sinking his teeth into the juncture of his hip. He bit down hard, feeling the skin giving way until Steve cried out, bucking up against him for more.

Pulling back, Bucky admired the final mark he’d left on him; Christ, this one was the deepest of them all. The bruise was purple and red and the teeth marks in his skin were bright pink and deeply indented in the flesh. He smiled down at Steve, running his thumb over the mark before dropping Steve’s legs to the floor again. “Relax for a minute, baby. Take a breather.”

Steve nodded. His legs splayed to the sides as he panted heavily, totally worked over and ready for more. Bucky turned away from him and immediately opened the bottle of lube to squirt a dollop into his hand. Tossing it to the side, he slicked up his cock in a few, short strokes, before grabbing Steve’s hips again. Whatever lube he had left in his hands, he smeared over his fingers before pushing his index and middle finger up into his channel in one go. He didn’t slow down, simply scissoring his fingers and twisting them back and forth to get him nice and wet. “Gonna fuck you now, baby. Yer gonna really enjoy this.” He breathed.

Pulling his fingers free, Bucky hoisted Steve’s hips again and set them on his lap. Without a word, he grabbed the base of his dick and nudged his cock against his hole. He gave a few, short thrusts against his entrance to get Steve nice and worked up, before he gripped his hips tightly. With a groan of delight, Bucky thrust in, slow and steady as he slid home to seat himself balls deep into his ass.

Steve gasped, his eyes flying open. He looked up at Bucky, mouth slack and fingers tensing into Bucky’s arms as he held onto him. Squirming backwards, Steve pushed himself onto Bucky’s cock further until he was pressed firmly into his lap, the two of them connected once again. He whined into the still air, shaking his head as he wrapped his legs around his waist. “Oh God… _Oh God_ , fuck me. Fuck me, please!”

Bucky laughed. It was a huff at best, though he did lean over to press his hands into the floor at either side of his shoulders. “Don’t worry, baby. I got you.” Leaning down, Bucky pressed his lips to Steve’s, nipping his lower lip as he withdrew from him. He didn’t give Steve a chance to grow used to his length out of him, as he quickly angled his hips and thrust back in, hard and fast. With a grunt of exertion, Bucky picked up a fast and brutal pace, fucking Steve back into the floor so hard he could feel hips hips jarring against the wooden floorboards with each thrust. He panted loudly, biting at his lip until he tasted blood; God, Steve tasted so beautiful. The slick-sound of his cock entering him and drilling his ass, the whimpers escaping Steve, the short cries each time Bucky would grind his hips up into him and split him with his cock. It was all intoxicating, driving Bucky insane with lust as he screwed his lover with conviction.

Steve cried out. He jarred backwards when one particular thrust of Bucky’s hips caught him off guard, and his eyes flew open. He grabbed at Bucky’s shoulders, dragging him down as he pushed his ass back against his lap hard. “FUCK! FUCK AGAIN!’ he cried out into the room.

Bucky caught on. Smirking openly, he gripped Steve’s hip carefully before tucking his own hips under. With the new angle, he thrust up, drilling right into Steve’s prostate with vicious intent, fast and hard and so fucking dirty. He loved watching Steve bounce and rock on his dick. He loved seeing his stomach muscles contracting, his pecs shaking just so under the cover of his t-shirt. The way Steve’s veins in his arms bulged as he held onto Bucky like his life depended on it drove him insane, and he leaned down to his stomach, biting across his ribs to leave a train track of marks across the pure skin there.

He was so entranced in his actions, he barely felt Steve shifting beneath him. Focused solely on not coming before Steve, Bucky paid no attention as Steve’s hand snaked down to his arm. Suddenly, he felt a vicelike grip on his wrist and he looked up to see Steve dragging his hand away from the floor and to his neck again. He watched in fascination as Steve took Bucky’s hand and wrapped it around his throat. With a whimper of pleasure, Steve pushed on Bucky’s hand, pressing his palm into his throat as hard as he could; his eyes never left Bucky’s face as he did so, choked breathing coming out in squeaks through the constricted windpipe beneath his hand.

Bucky stared at him. His cock throbbed inside his body and he slowed his hips to keep himself from coming right then and there. Moaning into the room, Bucky adjusted them again to loom over Steve’s body. He kept his hand pressed to Steve’s throat, though he curled his hand more into a circle. He could feel Steve’s Adam’s apple shifting against the palm of his hand and he knew he had to go about this carefully. Steve wanted to choke. He didn’t want to freaking _die._ He trusted him, after all, to do this right.

Smiling down at Steve, Bucky leaned in and pressed his forehead to his. He met his gaze for a moment before he picked up the pace of his thrusts again. Panting heavily, he slowly began to tighten his fingers around Steve’s throat, cutting off his air little by little as he fucked him raw. It was exhilarating, seeing Steve’s cheeks turning red under the lack of oxygen. He watched Steve struggle to breathe around his hand, watched as Steve’s fingers clawed at the floor as he pushed his hips back against his dick eagerly.

For a moment, Bucky loosened his grip on his throat, giving Steve a chance to catch his breath. He leaned down, shoving Steve into a vicious kiss to bite and tug on his lips. “How was that,” Bucky asked breathless himself. He snapped his hips up into him for emphasis, lifting Steve’s hips clear from the floor with his thrust.

Steve shook his head. He tore his hand from the floor, grabbing at Bucky’s wrist and shoving it back against his throat. “More,” he croaked. He stared up at Bucky with glazed, bloodshot eyes as he goaded him on to continue with his action. “Harder…”

Bucky moaned. Again, his cock throbbed and twitched, ready to spill over again. But this time, he turned his attention away from his own body; instead, he turned his focus on Steve. Steve wanted more. Steve wanted to be choked harder. He could do that.

With the same care, Bucky wrapped his left hand around Steve’s throat again. He kept his palm relatively loose against his Adam’s apple, but tightened his fingers harder still. Again, he heard Steve begin to choke and squeak around the pressure, his fingers digging into Bucky’s wrist before he shoved his hand harder against his throat once again.

Bucky was amazed. Even now, with his grip ever tightening, Steve was begging for more and more. He could see his pupils dilating until the rings of blue in his eyes were almost gone. Steve’s face grew redder and redder, tinged with the beginnings of a purple hue, and still he never stopped shoving himself back to meet Bucky’s thrusts.

Oh God, it was too much. Bucky moaned, keeping his eyes locked on Steve’s face. He had to focus… had to focus on him. His hips began to falter, losing rhythm as he lost himself to his lust. He could feel his orgasm coming strong, and he adjusted his hips again to plow right into his prostate.

Steve’s eyes widened as he stared up at him. Unable to speak now, he simply met Bucky’s gaze head on, his eyes losing focus bit by bit. But one particular thrust from Bucky’s hips caught its mark just right, and Steve’s body seized up. Uttering the faintest squeak, Steve’s body arched up, bowing his back from the floor as he shoved his ass against Bucky’s cock to press directly onto his prostate.

With a wet spurt, his cock flared to life, spasming viciously as he came at last, ropes of come shooting across his stomach and onto his t-shirt. His hands went limp as he visibly balanced on the precipice of blacking out, his eyes rolling to his skull as unimaginable pleasure visibly washed over him.

Bucky immediately tore his hand from his throat. It had really only been less than ten seconds since he’d applied that pressure to his throat, and he watched in amazement as Steve immediately drew breath, gasping loudly into the room. His gasps were quickly chased by the sound of a wailing moan as his cock continued to twitch and spurt, offering up the last of his seed in a dribble across his belly.

It was the hottest fucking thing Bucky had ever seen in his life.

Bucky could barely contain it. He howled out in pleasure, cock seizing up inside him as he began to spill over, filling his channel up with is release. But halfway through his orgasm, Bucky suddenly withdrew from Steve’s hole. He gripped his spasming cock in his hand and loomed over Steve’s chest, stroking himself through his release with a grunt. His dick twitched in his hand as his orgasm poured on, painting his own spunk across Steve’s chest and neck to mix with his lover’s release. “Oh God! Oh _God_!” Bucky panted, stroking and squeezing his prick to milk himself for all he was worth.

It seemed that his orgasm would never end. Only when he offered up a final dribble across Steve’s shirt, did Bucky finally feel himself go lax. He slumped backwards, catching himself on the edge of the sofa, dick still in hand. He breathed heavily, looking up at Steve to assess him. He had just choked him into the most powerful orgasm the guy had ever had in his life. He had to get a hold of himself to check up on Steve now.

Grunting in exhaustion, Bucky grabbed at his jeans and pulled them up his hips enough so he could move. He leaned over Steve, looking down at him with no little concern on his features. He reached out, brushing his fingers through Steve’s sweaty hair, looking over him for signs of life. Sure enough, the rise and fall of Steve’s chest, and the utterly blissed out expression on his face told Bucky exactly what he needed to know and he relaxed. Slumping to the floor next to him, Bucky carefully wrapped his arms around him and tugged Steve into the cradle of his grasp. “Steve…” He breathed, brushing his fingers over his forehead. “Stevie… lookit me, baby… c’mon talk to me.”

Steve nodded. A gurgle, strained and thin, escaped him before he tore his gaze from the ceiling to look into Bucky’s eyes. “B-buck… hey.” He croaked. Offering him up a weak smile, Steve reached up and brushed his fingers through Bucky’s long hair. “You look so beautiful…”

Bucky smirked. Rolling his eyes, he reached up and grabbed at Steve’s wrist. He pulled his hand down and pressed kisses into his palm before looking at him. “Now I know yer oxygen deprived, talkin’ crazy shit like that…”

“No, really,” Steve protested. He leaned up, cupping the back of Bucky’s neck in his hand. He pulled him down into a kiss, though the action was weak at best. “You’re fuckin’ beautiful… and perfect… and I am never gonna- gonna forgive myself for almost losing you…”

Bucky didn’t answer him. Not right away. Instead, he met his gaze again, biting his lower lip between his teeth. He took the moment to look down at Steve’s figure. He could see their come staining his skin and shirt, the bite marks he’d left all over his body, and a smirk danced at the corners of his lips. “You look like shit,” he said affectionately. Looking up at Steve, he offered him a small smile. “You need a bath.”

“Can’t move,” Steve complained. He shook his head before lifting it from the floor in a weak attempt to get up. He slumped back against the wood, moaning a little at his effort. “Gonna just lay here.”

Bucky grinned. Rolling his eyes, he sat up, shucking his own t-shirt off of his torso. With a careful hand, he took his shirt and spread Steve’s legs to clean up the dribbles of come that leaked from his hole. Once he’d done that, he took the shirt and wiped up the mess on Steve’s chest and stomach before carefully helping the exhausted blond out of his own dirtied shirt. “Well I don’ care. Yer getting’ a bath and then yer gonna lay down and sleep. Ya got me?”

Steve’s eyes opened again. Looking up at him, he leveled Bucky with a disbelieving look that quickly morphed into hope. “You really want me to stay?”

“Well I sure as shit ain’ lettin’ you walk home in this condition.” Getting to his knees, Bucky carefully helped Steve sit up. He watched as Steve flinched against the pain in his ass from the bite mark he’d left, and he chuckled. “C’mon, ya big baby.”

Hoisting Steve to his feet, Bucky carefully helped the naked man limp his way to the bathroom. He took their dirtied shirts and threw them into the hamper before sitting Steve down on the toilet seat. With that, he turned on the shower to a comfortable hot spray, before shucking his pants off and throwing them into the hamper as well.

Neither spoke as Bucky helped Steve stand up and walk into the shower. He carefully propped Steve up against the wall, taking due diligence to wash him from the sticky residue of sweat, spit and come from his figure. He carefully washed each bite-mark, assessing them to see if he’d need some sort of antibiotic. When he saw that none of them broke the skin, he relaxed. They would welt up like a son of a bitch and bruise, but he’d be okay.

Once he was sure Steve was clean, Bucky made quick work of cleaning himself. He shut off the spray and immediately wrapped Steve up in a towel before grabbing one for himself. Then, he frog marched the blond into the bedroom, where he lay him down on the soft mattress and threw the damp towels across the room.

Without even thinking, Bucky crawled into the bed with Steve and wrapped himself around him protectively. He could feel Steve instantly tuck himself into his arms, his head resting on his tattooed shoulder just below his jaw. All at once, Bucky could feel the tension ebbing out of Steve’s figure as he lay with him, the two cuddling up together in the warm blankets around them.

There, the two of them lay together, letting the silence envelope them. It was broken a few moments later by Steve’s voice. It was small, timid, and uncertain, making Bucky lean down to hear what he was saying.

“Buck… you really didn’t have to have sex with me.” Steve murmured. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to make this up to you just to fuck.”

“I know ya didn’t,” Bucky murmured. He held him close, rubbing his hand up and down Steve’s arm as he cuddled him. “Just… kinda happened, I get it. But yer apology-“

“Was genuine,” Steve immediately cut in. He looked up at Bucky, his eyes shining and pleading as he met his gaze. “I meant every word of it. I swear to God, I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. I love you, Buck. More than you can ever fuckin’ imagine and it was eating me up inside that I hurt you so badly.”

Bucky relaxed. He stared up at the ceiling for a beat, chewing his bottom lip. After a time, he relaxed, going limp in the bed as Steve began to press kisses into his collarbone. “I know. And I ain’t gonna ask you why you didn’ tell me. We’ll just go in circles all over again. I just- how am I supposed t’know that you and Sharon are really done?”

“I broke it off with her once and for all.” Steve said confidently. He looked up at him, fire in his eyes. “After you walked away I told her to stop telling people we were together. I told her that our fight was our break up and I didn’t want her anymore.”

“Yeah, but how am I supposed to _believe_ that? How am I supposed t’trust you again, Steve?” Bucky felt his eyes burning. He didn’t feel angry anymore. He’d marked and claimed Steve for himself. No one was having him again as long as he could help it.

But that still didn’t negate the fear he felt burning in the back of his mind, nor the “what if’s” that plagued him like a virus. What if Sharon and Steve weren’t done? What if this was just angry sex and Steve still went back to her?

Why the fuck wasn’t he more confident in Steve’s words?

“I get it,” Steve said miserably. “I broke your trust and I gotta earn it back. But I swear on God’s green earth, she and I aren’t getting back together again. I swear to you, Buck.” He looked up at him, exhaustion clear on his features. Even still, his eyes burned with sadness and he swallowed. “I will do whatever it takes to show you that I mean it. I’ll do anything you ask to prove it to you. I want only you, Bucky. I love only you.”

Bucky didn’t answer him. He wanted to believe him. He did believe him. But the wound was too fresh and the trust was too fractured. He didn’t know how they were going to get it back, but one thing was certain to Bucky: he _could not_ live without Steve in his life.

The two of them went quiet. They simply held each other as the sun began its descent into the horizon. The room slowly darkened around the two of them, illuminated only by the soft glow of the closet light. Even though Steve didn’t sleep like Bucky had told him to, he did seem much more refreshed than he had earlier. After a time, Bucky decided it was high time he give Steve his ultimatum. If Steve wanted to be with him (And Bucky knew how much they wanted each other), then they were going to do this the right way.

“We ain’t together, Steve,” he said quietly. Looking down at him, he shook his head. “You and me? We ain’t boyfriends.”

Steve stared at him. Pain visibly struck him as his eyes welled up. But he didn’t protest. Instead, he lowered his gaze from Bucky’s features and pressed his cheek into his chest. “I understand, Bucky-“

“But I accept yer offer to go on a first date with you,” Bucky said suddenly.

Silence fell between them. Confused, Steve looked up from Bucky’s chest to his eyes, trying his best to understand what he was saying. “Huh? I didn’t… I didn’t offer-“

“Friday night is a great night. Thanks fer suggestin’ it, I ain’t got nothing goin’ on,” Bucky went on, ignoring Steve’s protests. “Dinner and dancin’ is a great idea. I’m really looking forward to goin’ with you, Steve. How about you pick me up at 6 o’clock?”

It took Steve all of about ten seconds to understand what Bucky was saying. When it click, the realization dawned over Steve’s face so suddenly, he lit up the whole room. “You… Bucky?”

Bucky fought a smirk. Looking down at Steve, he offered him a quiet look before brushing the blond’s damp hair from his forehead. “If we’re gonna be together, Stevie, we’re gonna do it right. We start from scratch, like none of this ever happened. And this time, we’re gonna be totally honest with each other, up front and truthful about everything. No lies. No secrets. Nothin’. And I want _proof_ that you and Sharon are done. Solid fuckin’ proof, or this stops. You get me?”

Steve’s eyes lit up like fireworks. A huge smile crossed his lips as tears of relief ran down his cheeks in his happiness. He threw his arm around Bucky’s waist, tugging him closer to himself as he pressed the brunet into a biting kiss. “Bucky… Bucky, you have no idea how fucking happy this makes me,” he said. Peppering kisses all along Bucky’s jaw line, he smiled at him in utter relief as he held him close. “I swear, I’ll prove she and I are done. I’ll do anything to do this right this time. I promise on my soul I won’t hurt you ever again.”

“Good. And you better get a replacement pair of black frames before our first date, ‘cause those other ones just ain’t gonna fly, babe.” At the offended look Steve gave him, Bucky barked a laugh. He turned and cupped Steve’s jaw in his hand before pulling him into a kiss. “I love you, Stevie. I seriously fuckin’ love you so much. You ain’t got a clue how much y’mean to me.”

“Actually, I think I do,” Steve murmured. He nuzzled his nose into Bucky’s, offering him a gentle look and a soft brush of his fingers on his jaw. “I think I really do. I love you too, Bucky. I really, really do.”

Bucky beamed back at him, heartened by his words. As Steve nuzzled him, Bucky wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close. “I know, baby. Get some sleep. I think we both need it.”

Steve nodded. He pressed one last kiss to Bucky’s jaw before settling his head on his shoulder to drift off into slumber. Bucky listened carefully as Steve finally slept, succumbing to weeks of exhaustion, upset, and finally redemption.

It had been the most terrifying two weeks of his life. Facing the reality of Alex’s betrayal in his past, and now Steve’s, Bucky couldn’t imagine how he survived the whole ordeal. But the difference between the past and present, was the fact that Steve was so willing to fix what he had done. And best of all, Bucky had no reason to doubt that he wouldn’t fix his mistake.

It was a lesson in trust: Steve had broken it, and Bucky was willing to give him a second chance to make up for it. It was a lesson hard earned, but Bucky was certain only good could come of it. He had to, really. Now that he had Steve back, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again. Pushing Steve away once had shattered him. Losing him a second time?

That would be the end of him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut coming in the next chapter unfortunately. Just a cute little date. Time for this fic to go back to grass roots and become the little cuddle fluff fest it started out as! Huzzah!!!!!


	13. Do-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their talk, Bucky and Steve decide that they should start their relationship over from scratch with a do-over date. The question remains: will things ever be the same between them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long, drawn out hiatus, I bring you the latest update to Sprinkles! *insert epic fanfare*
> 
> I am so sorry it took me so long to update this story, but to those who've waited patiently for this story's return, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I decided to self-beta this chapter, and see how my writing has improved since the last update, so hopefully you guys enjoy it. There's no smut to be had in this chapter, but I think it's just what the boys need: touching back with the romance that brought them so close together before.
> 
> Okay, I know you guys are eager to read, so I won't keep you guys waiting! Read on, read on and thank you again for being so patient with me!!
> 
> (p.s. we get to finally meet Yelena in this chapter, and she's totally kick ass. I hope you guys like her as much as i enjoyed writing her!)

Three days had passed since the last time Bucky had seen Steve. After their much-needed talk, and subsequent make-up sex, it had been decided that the two of them would spend the remainder of the week apart to allow themselves a chance to really come to terms with the change in their relationship.

To be perfectly honest, the three-day break was a lot easier to handle than Bucky had expected. After Steve had left the following morning, Bucky had whole-heartedly expected to find himself missing him to his very core, knowing it would be nearly a week until he saw him next. But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, their mini ‘break’ had given him plenty of time to think about what had transpired between them, how it had forever changed their relationship, and how the fallout would impact their future together.

For three solid days, Bucky kept mostly to himself, even around his friends. Despite their efforts to glean out of him what was on his mind and why he’d become even more withdrawn than before, Bucky remained resolutely quiet and simply went about his days; he worked, he went home, he walked Zima, got coffee from Darcy’s and he fed himself, trying his very best to lead as normal a life as he could during that reprieve.

Bucky had never been more grateful for the silence in his life.

For three solid days, Bucky mulled over their fight and his own reaction to Steve’s lie. At first, he couldn’t understand why Sharon’s reveal had had such an impact on him. At first, it made sense to him why he had been so upset with Steve and why he’d been so heartbroken over it.

Then… it didn’t make much sense anymore.

It was Friday morning when Bucky finally realize what had been plaguing his mind that whole week. It had struck him while he was feeding Zima, the thought a cataclysmic epiphany that threw his entire world on its side. As he watched Zima bound and leap at her bowl, yapping at him with all the love for her owner in her eyes, Bucky realized the cold truth: Zima loved Bucky because he provided her a home, food, and affection. Without those three things, Zima would never have come to adore her master. She relied on him for her very survival and without him, she would simply wither away in this apartment and pass on, unable to fend for herself and bereft of the love that she needed to survive.

It was the same, bone-deep codependency that Bucky had allowed himself to succumb to for both Alex and Steve.

Bucky watched Zima eat her kibble, his mind totally blown by that epiphany. For the second time in his life, Bucky had allowed another human being to dictate his happiness and his reason to live. For the second time, losing that individual had put Bucky in such a state of depression and worthlessness, he nearly caved under the weight of it. It hadn’t been Steve’s fault it had happened. It hadn’t even been Alex’s that many years ago. It had all been Bucky’s fault. He’d forgotten he was a strong, capable man that could take care of himself and dictate his own happiness, and completely shucked the responsibility onto another person. It hadn’t been fair to Steve that Bucky had done that, and the poor guy didn’t even know it was happening.

No wonder Bucky’s friends had been so worried about him.

With that realization, Bucky had gone to work that day filled with a newfound determination to make things right in his life again. Never again, would he let himself be controlled entirely by the expectation that he needed someone to make him happy. No, from that moment on, Bucky would live, knowing that he had someone in his life because he _complimented_ his happiness, not controlled it.

God… Who even knew what might have happened if Steve and Bucky had had a major blowout years down the road of their relationship, instead of just weeks? Would it have been a colossal nightmare? Would it have ended in emotional obliteration? Would it have turned Bucky into a callous, unfeeling bastard that shut out everyone he ever held dear to him, simply because his spirit would have been too damaged by the fallout?

Thank fucking God they were finally making things right again. He couldn’t imagine what might have happened if they had done this far too late in the game...

Bucky was so caught up in his thoughts, he barely paid attention to his work station around him. He didn’t notice when Brock and Clint left for lunch, nor did he notice the presence of another one of the garage’s frequent visitors show up during that time. It had taken being hit in the side of the head by a paper ball to finally draw him back to the land of the living as he looked up at the source of his irritation.

On the other side of the room, Natasha and Yelena sat on the office’s work bench, grinning at him wickedly. Each one of them had a paper ball in hand, held at the ready to pelt him from across the room if he didn’t pay attention to them. When he looked up and met their gazes, Yelena and Natasha giggled openly at the annoyed scowl that crossed his face.

“What’ya want?” Bucky huffed openly. He picked up the paper ball where it had landed at his feet and chucked it back across the room towards them. “Can’ you see I’m workin’ over here?”

“Yeah, we can see that. You’re working too hard,” Natasha commented. Getting to her feet, she and Yelena crossed over to his side of the garage to watch him as he took apart an air vent. “We’ve been trying to get your attention for ten minutes.”

“Pretty deeply, I might add. Poor thing… looks like you’re lost in lala-land,” Yelena commented. She crossed her arms over her chest, hip cocked to the side as she smiled down at him. “What’s the matter, Bucky? Is it about that bet you and Brock had the other week? He swears up and down he didn’t rig the poker game. You’re just bad at poker.”

“Har har,” Bucky said, with a roll of his eyes. “I ain’t bad at poker, he’s just a dirty, rotten liar.”

“Oh, I’m telling him you said that and he’s totally going to cry into his pillow. How do you feel about that, kid?”

“Same old man yer sleepin’ with. I betcha you can make him feel better real quick.” Bucky shot back. At Yelena’s side, he watched as Natasha joined the three-way stare down.

Frankly, Bucky felt a little outnumbered as the two women grinned at him like foxes on the prowl. It was frightening how similar Yelena and Natasha had turned out to be. Despite the five year age difference between them, Yelena and Nat were cut from the same mold; witty, charming, and oddly lethal. They were so similar, one could almost mistake them for being sisters.

Even still, Bucky couldn’t help but admire the impact Yelena had on their lives. Sure, the crew had been deeply familiar with her from their countless dinner dates at the Red Star; she’d been their favorite waitress there, and always made sure to bring them extra chips and drinks without charging them. Bucky had always liked Yelena, and enjoyed her company whenever they had a chance to talk.

Now that Brock and Yelena had been dating, the gang had really gotten to know her, and welcomed her openly into their little gang with open arms. Tall, blond, and sporting sharp blue eyes that always danced with mischief, Yelena fit right into their group, cracking the raunchiest of jokes that made even Clint blush, and making a name for herself as Brock’s better half. She was tough and charming, never one to back down from an argument, and always wore a cock-sure smirk on her lips that told the world she had it by the balls and wouldn’t let fate tell her how to live her life.

Bucky might have liked Yelena before; now, after really getting to know her, he absolutely _loved_ her and her own personal brand of charm. To be honest, Yelena actually scared him a little; she had proven to be Brock’s yang to his yin, the toughest couple with the biggest hearts he’d ever met in his life. It didn’t help that the first time she’d really hung out with the rest of the gang, she’d put Bucky in such a formidable headlock he thought he was going to pass out.

Naturally, she’d earned everyone’s respect right after that.

Normally, Bucky loved that cock-sure attitude from his friends, and thrived on their sarcasm and wit. Now, he just found it irritating as hell, and wanted nothing more than to go home and hide away while he mulled over his thoughts further. “ _What_? You wanna talk to me about something, I can tell. So what is it?”

“Nothing, really,” Yelena commented. “You just seemed like something was bothering you so we wanted to make sure you were okay, you know?”

“I’m fine, I promise,” Bucky said, hoping his tone told them he wanted to drop the subject. “Now can I get back to work now? I got a lot of shit I gotta get done before I go home.”

“Okay, we believe you,” Nat said in return. “We did want to ask; you’ve been cooped up for the week, and we haven’t heard much from you aside from work. We’re having a little group outing tonight. Movie on the pier and drinks. Why don’t you come with us?”

“Can’t,” Bucky said, turning his attention back to the vent he was reassembling. “I already got plans tonight.”

That caught their attention, and he looked up to see them giving each other an excited look. “Oh really? What kinda plans?” Yelena asked.

“Got a date tonight. Real big, important stuff,” Bucky blurted out, before he could stop himself. Almost instantly, he cringed as he realized what he’d just admitted to, and he looked up to see what kind of damage that had done.

Natasha and Yelena both uttered an excited noise at that, and leaned in closer to Bucky. Really, what other reaction did he expect, telling them that little factual bomb? “Oh really?! Who’s it with? What are you guys doing? Was it that guy we saw you talking to at the coffee shop yesterday?” Nat asked, her tone light and excited.

Bucky blinked. Looking up at her, he wracked his mind wondering who the hell she was talking about, before he realized what she meant. “ _That guy_? No way, that’s Pietro. He just started working at Darcy’s with his sister, Wanda. I was just talkin’ to him about the regulars and giving him a little info before he got started.”

“So who is it?” Yelena pressed, leaning her elbows on the table. “C’mon, tell us!”

“It’s none of yer business!” Bucky snapped, looking up at them both and glaring. “I mean it, it’s just a little date, okay?”

Of course, he forgot exactly how perceptive his friends really were. When both Yelena and Natasha went silent at his outburst, Bucky looked up at them both, only to see the looks of surprise and resignation on their faces. _‘Dammit, I really gotta work on my temper’_ he thought to himself in annoyance as he waited for the fallout.

“Bucky… you’re going on a date with Steve, aren’t you,” Natasha said calmly. It was the sort of calm that hid a storm behind its facade. Even from his spot, he could see the wheels turning in their heads, and the longer he hesitated to answer, the more their suspicions were confirmed. He might as well come clean and just tell them _now.._.

“Yeah, it’s with Steve,” Bucky sighed in defeat. Knowing he wasn’t going to get any work done that afternoon, he threw his rag down on the table and rolled up his sleeves to stave off the heat of the garage. “What of it?”

Natasha stared at him, her eyes flashing dangerously as her calm front crumbled in an instant. “You’re kidding me. Bucky what the _hell_ are you thinking?! I thought you were over this now, this isn’t healthy!”

“Steve… isn’t that the guy that callously broke your heart and then decided to play the victim by begging your forgiveness?” Yelena asked, her tone icy with mistrust. Normally, Bucky appreciated her protective instincts; she’d developed them quickly after making friends with the group. But now, Bucky just couldn’t handle the reality of it, knowing he’d have to defend Steve to her.

“Look, I don’t need the two of you mothering me over this. We already talked and made up the other day. I swear, everything is fine.” Bucky said, gritting his teeth to keep his temper at bay.

“You made up… oh God, is that why you kept your collar buttoned all Tuesday? You had sex with him again!” Natasha said, her tone raising in anger. “Bucky, you seriously can’t do this to yourself. Not again, you can’t put yourself through this kind of emotional beating just because he batted his eyes at you.”

“He didn’t-” Bucky stuttered, staring at them with open shock. “Are you fuckin’ _kidding me_ , yer gonna pull that shit and tell me who the fuck I can and can’t date?! You ain’t my ma, Nat! I made my decision! We’re startin’ over from scratch, no lies no nothin!” Turning away from them, Bucky grabbed his file from the table and stomped over to the office to throw it onto Clint’s desk. “Fuckin’ _hell_ , s’like I can’t even make my own damn decisions anymore about who I’m datin’! I gotta get clearance from you guys and that’s fuckin’ shit!”

Yelena spoke up then, her tone much calmer than Nat’s. “Bucky, we’re not telling you who you can and can’t date. I don’t know the extent of what happened, but from what I’ve been told, you really got put through the wringer. We’re just trying to make sure you’re okay, that’s all.”

“I’m _fine_!” Bucky snarled. Glaring at them both over his shoulder, he reached up and undid the buttons on his collar. “Fuck this, I’m goin’ for a smoke.”

“Bucky,” Natasha tried again. Following after him to the back of the garage, she reached out, putting her hand on his arm to stop him. “Listen to me. We’re not telling you who you can and can’t date. That’s not what we’re saying at all. Just… what the hell are you gonna do when Brock finds out? Or Clint? They’re gonna be pissed.”

“So, let them be pissed. It ain’t their decision,” Bucky snipped.

“I’m just saying… We don’t want you to make the same mistake a third time,” Natasha said quietly. “It just feels like you’re throwing yourself into a relationship because you feel like you _have_ to be with him. You’re not obligated to be with him, just because he said he was sorry.”

Bucky paused, listening to her speech. For a second, he didn’t move, too bowled over by her words to really react. When she finished speaking, he looked back at her, his eyes hard with betrayal. “ _Wow_. I knew that’s what you guys were gonna say. Shit, I fuckin’ knew it…” Pulling his arm from hers, Bucky turned away, pushing his hands into his hair. After a moment he looked back at his friends, his face set in determination. “This ain’t me sayin’ I gotta have Steve in my life to survive, you know. That’s not what this is about at all.”

Bucky leaned his hip against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he tucked into himself in defense. “Look. I know what it looks like, and I know what it probably seemed like before. But this is different. I ain’t takin’ Steve back because I got conned into it, or I feel like I gotta be in a relationship to feel complete. We’re tryin’ again, _mutually_ , because we want to make this work. We love each other, we care about each other, and we want to make it work for that fact alone. This ain’t me sayin’ I can’t be happy alone, or with someone else. This is me sayin’ I want to be happy with the guy that makes me smile because I love ‘im. He doesn’t control my happiness. I do. And my happiness wants to be with Steve.”

Bucky shrugged, looking away from them. “Yeah, he made a pretty big mistake. Yeah, it hurt me, and yeah we fought about it real bad. But we talked it through. We realized our mistakes, and we’re gonna work on them to make ourselves better for each other. I felt like a real dick, when I realized what kinda spot I was puttin’ him in. I was makin’ him be the only source of my happiness, and that wasn’t fair to him at all. We both made mistakes, and we’re both gonna work on it _together_. And knowin’ that we’re not gonna lie to each other or we’re gonna do what we can to make each other’s lives better, that should be enough for you guys.”

After finishing his impassioned speech, Bucky looked up at his friends, noting their expressions. They no longer looked worried; just resigned. He didn’t expect them to understand right away. But maybe, after he and Steve had worked things out finally and got back on the right track, they would understand then.

Yelena spoke up first. Her smile was soft and she stepped up to Nat’s side, meeting his gaze head on. “Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess? I understand what it’s like, taking what you want even if others think it’s a bad idea. I can’t speak for the others, but from my end of this, you have my support no matter what happens. I just hope you get the happy ending you’re hoping for.”

Natasha nodded, agreeing silently with Yelena’s words. When she had finished speaking, Nat stepped forward and pulled Bucky into a tight hug. “I’m sorry. I trust you, I really do. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“I won’t,” Bucky said. He hugged her more firmly to his chest, feeling her pulse thrumming nervously under her skin. “I get you guys are worried, I really do. But you gotta trust me, okay? I got this. I promise.”

Natasha nodded. Stepping back, she sidled up with Yelena, the two of them watching Bucky with thinly veiled concern before finally turning away and going back into the garage. Bucky exhaled loudly, leaning back against the wall as he watched them go. Well, that went easier than he’d expected. At least he didn’t have to fight them off, tooth and nail, just to get to his date that night.

Shaking his head, Bucky went outside the garage, leaning against the wall as he pulled out a cigarette. As he lit the end and inhaled the smoke to calm his nerves, he looked up at the bakery across the street. Inside, he could see Steve serving a customer, a huge smile on his face as he spoke with the older woman with obvious delight. Bucky watched as Steve laughed, his voice cut off from him by distance and the glass windows of the bakery, before waving goodbye to her and seeing her out the shop.

When Steve looked up, their eyes met for a moment. Bucky watched as Steve offered him a smile and a small wave, wordlessly confirming their date for that evening. Bucky smiled back, waving to him before taking another puff of smoke. Yeah, this was going to be alright. Things would be just fine.

Now more than ever, he couldn’t wait for their date that night. He really did miss seeing Steve on a regular basis. Maybe, after their “first” date was over, they could go back to the way things were, smarter, stronger, and happier than ever.

That was, after all, what made relationships work, wasn’t it?

* * *

 

Steve paced his apartment, his hands shaking at his sides. Taking one last look in the bathroom mirror, he glanced over his outfit, hoping like hell it was appropriate for their evening. It _should_ have been; Tony had made it his personal mission to take Steve out shopping at the finest clothing stores before the big night. After scouring the shops for a grueling two hours, the two of them had finally come away with black jeans adorned with a white wide-leather belt, a dark red button up accented with black pockets and cuffs that Tony swore would hug his chest just perfectly, and black high-tops to match with his glasses and nose piercing. Steve had been dubious of the outfit at first, and even more appalled at the price of it all, but decided it was best to leave the final decisions to Tony. He was, after all, the king of make-ups when it came to his romantic outings.

When they finally finished picking out the last of Steve’s clothes for the evening, he had taken the outfit home and tried it on, begrudgingly admitting to himself that Tony had been spot on about the outfit hugging him in all the right places. Once he’d finished putting on the final touches, and fixed his hair just right, Steve thought that, just maybe, he looked like a respectable young man that deserved to have the love of his life forgive him for nearly ruining their relationship in such a stupid manner. Now he just had to work really hard not to sweat his way through it all and ruin the whole date before he even left his apartment.

Still pacing the room, he looked up at the clock every so often, counting down the seconds until he had to leave, and wishing the clock would stop for just a second. He needed time to relax. It was just Bucky. They’d done this _countless_ times.

 _‘But what if you fuck this up?_ ’ he thought to himself. All at once, his nerves flared to life again, and he whined in the back of his throat, feeling just the slightest bit dizzy as anxiety overtook him like a shroud.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Steve, you’re driving me crazy.”

Opening his eyes again, Steve put his glasses back on from where he’d pushed them to his crown and spotted Tony and Sam. The two of them sat on his couch and stared at him with all the disgust in the world at his pitiful behavior. He winced a little in shame before facing them. “Hey… sorry just… a little nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” Tony asked. He waved his hand at Steve dismissively. “You got your killer jeans on. Your ass is on point, you have a nice shirt on and you got your glasses fixed. You’re a walking wet-dream and Bucky’s gonna drool when he sees you. So what’s to be nervous about?”

Sam piped up at that moment, hitting Tony in the arm with a pillow. “He’s nervous because this is a do-over date, you idiot. The end-all, be-all of makeup dates. His love life is on the line here.”

Steve nodded, watching his friends bicker for a moment before he cut in. “Sam’s right. It’s… I just don’t want to fuck this up, you know? Bucky’s a Goddamn saint, giving me a second chance like this. I just don’t want to ruin it.”

“You’re not gonna ruin it, you two were glued at the hip before. So... you fucked up and lied about Sharon; at least you told him the truth in the end. So you two are on the mend!” Tony replied. Standing up, he walked over to Steve, reaching out and rubbing his arms. “Breathe, big guy. You got this.”

Steve watched Tony, feeling a little put-off by his suddenly supportive attitude. He looked over at Sam, raising a brow at him. “Did he get into my fridge again?”

“Yep, your entire bottle of Moscato you had saved for Bucky is gone. Might want to buy another one before he comes over again.”

That made Steve laugh, though to be honest, it was probably just so he didn’t break down into a hyperventilating mess. “Thanks for the uhm... support. Just…. Y-know, I better get going so I’m not late. That’d be the last thing I need to do right now.”

Tony nodded sagely. “You got your reservation done right? You took my advice on the restaurant?”

Steve nodded. He pulled out his phone, showing them the reservation listing for St. Charles Cellar, and he smiled. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks for suggesting that place, I think Bucky’s really gonna like it.”

“See, I got good ideas.” Tony said. Clapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder, he turned him for the door before picking up the rose that Steve had left on the side table. “Get the fuck out of here and go pick your boy up. You’ve got ten minutes.”

“I’m getting kicked out of my own apartment,” Steve grumbled openly. Looking back at Sam and Tony he gave them an annoyed look. “You guys better lock up before you leave, I mean it. And feed Scout!”

“Man, we gotta be your cat-nanny now too?” Sam said, waving his hands. “Fine, fine. Just go, get frisky and salvage your relationship, hot-stuff. And I swear, if you screw up, we’re not bailing you out again!”

Steve smirked, saluting his friends before finally turning and leaving the apartment. Yeah, he could do this. It was Bucky, after all. Bucky, the most amazing, forgiving and beautiful guy Steve had ever loved.

Feeling a bit rejuvenated by his friends’ confidence, Steve left the building and trotted down the steps to the curb, where his car sat waiting for him and took the brief drive to Bucky’s apartment. With a couple minutes to spare, he flipped open his visor mirror, checking to make sure he didn’t look totally revolting before finally turning the engine off. A swell of nerves hit him one last time, and he gripped the bottom of the steering wheel tightly in his fingers. This was it; the moment of truth. Would this evening go by without a hitch or would he totally fuck this up for himself?

“It’s just Bucky…” he told himself quietly. He climbed out of the car, closing the door behind himself as he took a deep breath and repeated his mantra. “It’s just Bucky… Bucky wanted this. You’ll be fine, Steve… you’ll be fine.”

With that out of the way, Steve turned and trotted up the steps of the apartment building. Letting himself inside, he navigated the hallway to the stairs, taking them two at a time before he finally found himself outside Bucky’s door. He hesitated only for a brief second, his knuckles hovering in front of the wood, as if he were frozen like a statue. He remembered standing outside this door just a few weeks ago; that time, it was to have Bucky shut the door in his face, seemingly ending the greatest chapter in Steve’s life with the finality of a man scorned. It was strange, how quickly things could change in one’s life. How fast, one’s life could crumble into dust before slowly rebuilding itself, brick by brick, until the youth that had succumbed to the pain of loss could reemerge as a man, strengthened by his experiences, but no more hardened in heart. This was his chance… no, it was _their_ chance to live right by each other, and Steve would die before he ever made those same mistakes again in his life. Bucky deserved no less… he, _himself,_ deserved no less.

It took every ounce of strength he had to finally knock, setting off the events of their evening with that simple gesture. Almost instantly, he heard barking coming from inside, and his smile brightened tenfold. Zima must have known he was coming and sat right by the door for his arrival. That thought, alone, comforted Steve’s anxiety, and he sighed, ready to face the night, come what may, and know he’d done his very best to make right the wrongs he’d done.

The minute the door opened, Steve’s face lit up at the sight of Bucky standing on the other side. Bucky, who almost instantly stole Steve’s breath away the minute he saw him. It was strange really; it seemed both of them had gotten the memo on how important this “first” date really was. Previously, Bucky had arrived on dates, wearing his favorite t-shirts and chuck shoes with jeans. He always had his own brand of style when it came to going out with Steve for a night on the town and Steve always appreciated his care-free ideals and casual appearance.

But that’s not what stood on the other side of the doorway this time.

This time, Bucky stood in front of Steve, looking like he’d been drawn in the pages of a fashion magazine. Instead of the converse shoes and outrageous t-shirt, Bucky had worn a pair of dark blue jeans over a pair of distressed leather Timberlands. He wore a simple white button up with the sleeves rolled up to show off the ink on his arm. Over that, he wore a grey vest that tapered his waist even further than it already was, and the tops of both pieces of clothing showed off his collarbones under the faintly colored cloth. A necklace, one that Steve didn’t quite recognize, hung at the hollow of his throat, and his face was clean shaven. The only thing that remained truly “Bucky” about this whole outfit was the appearance of his piercings and long hair pulled into a knot at the nape of his neck.

Holy shit, he looked absolutely stunning.

“Wow,” Steve said dumbly, unable to help himself. He stared at Bucky from the other side of the door, floored by the sight of his boyfriend’s appearance. “Jesus, Buck… you look amazing.”

Bucky chuckled and flushed a faint pink. Reaching up, he pushed a wry strand of hair back behind his ear as he looked over Steve from his side of the door. “I could say th’ same thing about you, Stevie. I didn’t think red made you look that good.”

“I take it I should wear red more often?” Steve asked. Smiling at Bucky, he extended his hand, holding out the rose to him. He watched with delight as Bucky took the rose from him and gave it a little sniff before smiling up at him appreciatively. “Figured that’d look good next to your T.V.”

“Y’know, I’m thinkin’ the same thing,” Bucky replied. He smiled up at Steve, eyes dancing in barely concealed excitement before he carefully picked up his keys and stepped out of the apartment to lock it behind him. “I’ll put it in water later. I think it’s gonna come with us tonight.”

“Whatever you want,” Steve replied. He extended his elbow to Bucky, feeling his stomach flutter in delight when the brunet threaded his arm into the curl of his elbow in return. Already feeling much better than he had earlier, he led Bucky down the stairs to the main floor, and outside where his car was. Offering him a small nod, Steve opened the car door for Bucky, watching as he snickered at the chivalrous behavior given to him. “I got us dinner reservations. We’ll get there just in time.”

“Where’d you get ‘em at?” Bucky asked, buckling himself into the car.

Steve circled around, crawling into the driver’s seat. He started up the car and quickly pulled into traffic, taking them towards Grand street. “St. Charles Cellar. I figured we could start off by drinks in St. Mazie’s bar, before our reservation. The place is supposed to have amazing porchetta.”

“St. Charles Cellar?” Bucky asked, his eyes widening. “I’ve always wanted to try that place!”

Steve smiled calmly, though inside his stomach did a flip-flop of excitement. He was definitely going to have to thank Tony for the suggestion later. “Oh great! I’m glad to hear that because they have live music there tonight. And dancing.”

Bucky looked up at Steve, his eyes softening to a delighted glow. He didn’t say anything, though he did reach out, putting his palm on Steve’s thigh to show his gratitude for the stellar start to their date.

Steve smiled brighter than the sun. He glanced out of the corner of his eye towards Bucky, peeking over the frames of his glasses as he reached down and cupped his hand over the others gently. Confidence completely restored, he gave Bucky’s hand a squeeze before taking the wheel again. This, right here… this felt normal. It was as if the past weeks had simply been wiped from existence, leaving them right back where they had left off. It felt natural, like the ebb and flow of nature residing back in its natural form. Bucky and Steve, Steve and Bucky, two men that made one whole entity. Steve knew, then and there, that everything was going to be just fine. The last shreds of his anxiety left him at last, and he squeezed his boyfriend’s fingers, silently passing on his thoughts to him as they lived their life in perfect harmony once again.

The drive to the restaurant was relatively short. Parking served to be a hell of a lot easier to find than Steve anticipated, which was surprising for a Friday night. Once they were parked, he got out of the car and found himself met by Bucky, who quickly took his hand in his. Steve couldn’t help himself. As he beamed down at Bucky, he lifted their hands up and pressing a gentle kiss to Bucky’s knuckles. “C’mon. I really want to see your reaction when we walk inside.”

Bucky grinned, bumping shoulders with Steve in a silent show of understanding. Then, the two of them crossed the parking lot, approaching the little establishment side by side. From the outside, the building held a rustic atmosphere, viney plants and leaves scattered all across the granite walls. Dark, petrified wood accents colored the windows and doorframes, reminding Steve of an old, rundown winery. The window glass was shining and perfectly clear, showing off an array of little accent lights strung up along the ceiling of the establishment, and every chair and table visible looked like they had been crafted out of dead wood, decorated with Mason jar candles and ancient brass table settings. Even the ground leading up to the place was old fashioned, cobbled together by antique porcelain tiles in mint green and white swirls, giving the whole establishment an eclectic feel that even Steve found himself loving instantly.

“Holy shit, this place looks awesome,” Bucky said, his eyes widening to saucers as he stared at the exterior. An excited noise left him as he tugged on Steve’s hand, pulling him closer to the bar. “C’mon, I wanna see the inside!’

Steve laughed, allowing Bucky to pull him inside. The two of them crossed the double door threshold into the interior, and Steve was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Just like the outside, the inside was rustic and warm, low lighting emanating from bulbs dangling from the ceiling. The place was lined with wooden walls and floors that looked like they had been scrubbed within an inch of their lives, and the bar was just as homey, accented with “peeling” old paint that soaked into the wood like an old stain. Everyone inside was huddled around the bar, some of them seated on the old stools, while others stood about enjoying drinks out of glasses that looked like they came straight from the 20’s.

At his side, Steve could feel Bucky practically vibrating with excitement. He looked over to see Bucky, totally in his element and taking in the scenery with pure awe and delight as he squeezed his hand happily. “Shit, Stevie, this place is fuckin’ amazing. How did you know to get a reservation here?”

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t even think of it. Tony suggested it to me, and when he described it, I knew it sounded like something you might like,” Steve said. Holding his elbow out to Bucky, he offered him a wink and gestured with his head towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Bucky said looping his arm into Steve’s. Then, without warning, he turned and pressed a little kiss to his cheek. Steve jumped at the sudden, affectionate gesture, and he looked down at Bucky in surprise. Bucky simply returned the look, grinning at him innocently. “What? Why are you just starin’ at me? Didn’t you promise me drinks and food?”

Steve blinked and an incredulous laugh left him. He tightened his grip on Bucky’s arm, tugging him into the restaurant insistently. “You know it, Buck. Maybe we’ll get those market oysters and see who gets grossed out by them first.”

“Oh God, not oysters!” Bucky exclaimed, faking a gag as he was dragged into the building.

Steve laughed, feeling better than he had in a long time. His earlier apprehension melted away entirely, as the promise of a good night lay before them. Of course, things would be alright again. How Steve could imagine that their date would be anything less than perfect was beyond him.

There was no such thing as an imperfect moment, when God, Himself, had designed their world together so carefully.

* * *

 

Bucky stared at the plate in front of them, grimacing quite openly. If anyone had reminded him of the table manners his parents had tried to instill in him as a child, he would have kindly told them to fuck right off. What was on that plate was unnatural and not meant for human consumption, dammit. But of course, after two Mexican Firing Squads and a chaser of champagne, he’d made the bold error of claiming he could “eat those fuckin’ oysters”, and accepted a dare with very little concern as to what that entailed.

In front of him, Steve was sitting on his side of the table, his elbows pressed into the distressed wood, and his chin resting in his palms. He had the biggest, most ridiculous grin on his face Bucky had ever seen, and his eyes were glazed over with the effects of whatever fruity drink he’d consumed a few minutes ago. With a goading look, Steve nudged the plate closer to him and snickered. “Well, Buck? You gonna try that or what? I’m waiting,’ he ended, his voice a sing-song lilt.

Oh fuck himself and his big fat mouth. Bucky grimaced again, certain that his face would stick like that, and he looked up at Steve. “Y’know, I gotta give you props for only askin’ for two oysters. ‘Cause I’m pretty sure this is gonna end real badly.”

“Well, it’s not hard to do when I know you,” Steve said. With a snicker, he reached down and plucked one of the mollusks on the plate, holding it up. “How about this? We do it together. That way we can both humiliate ourselves at the same time in front of all these nice people.”

“I like that idea. Try not to hork on the table,” Bucky said, snickering. He picked up the second oyster, holding it up to Steve with a squeamish look on his face. “Well… bottoms up, babe.”

With that, the two of them lifted the pre-loosened shells to their lips, and slugged back the fishy meat with a slurp. Bucky felt the wet, slimy… blob ( _blob_ was certainly the best way he could describe it) hit his tongue, and he uttered a most undignified squeak around the gooey mouthful. Clapping his hand over his mouth to stifle the wild laughter trying to escape him, Bucky did his best to chew, before forcing himself to swallow the whole lump down in one go. “Oh GOD, it’s like swallowing a snot rocket!” Bucky gasped, slumping forward. His forehead hit the table, rattling their utensils loudly as he forced back the howl of laughter he felt overtaking him in his less-than-sober state.

Above him he heard Steve utter a mostly similar sound, apparently rather disgusted by the whole thing before he grabbed his drink and chugged the rest of it down in two swallows. “Uughh, oh my God. Never again,” Steve exclaimed, shaking the whole table as a purely grossed-out, full body shudder overtook him. “Oh my God. I can’t get the taste out of my mouth. Help, it’s gross.”

“You’re the one that positioned the dare, dope,” Bucky said, pointing at him. He never moved his head from the table, too certain that everyone in this restaurant was staring at them both. He didn’t rightly care. They had both been put through a trauma, they were allowed to act like toddlers.

As the two of them spent a good moment acting completely immature about this less-than-shocking revelation, Bucky looked up to see their waiter coming over. The man was smiling, stifling back laughter as he stared at his two customers with the utmost amusement at their antics. “I take it it’s time for the check, right?”

“Yes, please, before he dares us to eat anythin’ else,” Bucky said. He heard the unamused scoff from Steve and he giggled, keeping his eyes on the waiter. When the guy plucked their check from his notepad and set it on the table, he reached out to pick it up and see exactly what the damage was. However, before he could lay a finger on it, Steve snatched up the check, hiding the total from Bucky as he read over it with interest. “Hey c’mon, I thought first dates were Dutch.”

“Nope. I’m paying for it. Your payment is looking pretty,” Steve said, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet.

Bucky couldn’t help the blush that colored his cheeks. Frankly, he felt a little guilty. He hadn’t dressed himself for this very special occasion; fuck, he might not have even thought to _shave_. Apparently after his little blow-up in the garage earlier that day, Yelena had gotten it in her mind that she absolutely _had_ to make this the perfect date for Bucky to ensure maximum benefits as the two of them took the first step to repair their relationship. After scouring his closet for a good twenty minutes, Yelena had put together most of the outfit he currently wore, before ordering Bucky take a shower and shave while she went to get the finishing touches. By the time Bucky had climbed from the shower and dressed in his jeans and white shirt, Yelena had returned, carrying those brand new Timberlands and a grey vest, shrugging off any and all attempts he gave to repay her the cash for them.

Could he take credit for how he looked that night? Not really. Knowing him, he would have just pulled out the usual outfit style he always wore around Steve, and that just would have been sorely inappropriate for such an important date. Never before had he been so thankful for someone’s insight, other than his own. He owed Yelena flowers for her heroics.

Shaking himself back to the moment, Bucky looked up to see Steve taking his credit card back from the waiter and signing off on the bill before thanking him wholeheartedly for the incredible dinner. Bucky took a moment, watching the two of them interact for a second before the waiter finally walked away, leaving the two of them alone at the table together.

“So…” Bucky said quietly. He reached out, his hand crossing the table to wrap up in Steve’s grip. He felt the vice-like clutch of his fingers in his, and for a brief moment, neither man spoke. “Thank you, Stevie.. This was… this was pro’ly the best day I ever went on.”

“Even better than our last ones?” Steve asked.

“What last ones?” Bucky asked, raising a brow at him. He watched as Steve’s cheeks flushed red as he realized he’d broken the illusion of this moment, and he offered him a comforting smile. “I don’ remember no other dates with you. I’m just sayin’... I think we got something real good goin’ here, ya know?”

“Y-yeah,” Steve said. His expression softened, looking almost pained. Without a word, he lifted their hands, pressing a kiss to the back of Bucky’s knuckles before meeting his gaze again. “Yeah, I think we do… but, I think I know what could make this even better.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Bucky asked.

“Dancing. Remember I said there was live music tonight on the patio?”

Bucky nodded, remembering their brief discussion earlier that evening. Excitement filled his chest at the thought and he flashed Steve an eager little grin. “Yeah? You wanna dance now?”

“Oh I wasn’t giving you a choice,” Steve said, slapping on an air of bravado at that moment. “I was just reminding you that was part two for the date.”

“Well color me stoked,” Bucky said. He squeezed Steve’s hand one more time before leaning back in his seat and winking at him. “I’m all for it. C’mon, Prince Charming. Let’s go waltz and show these squares how real men dance.”

Steve nodded, his earlier hesitance at breaking the mood gone in a flash. Without a word, he got to his feet and circled the table, chivalrously pulling Bucky’s chair out for him and extending his elbow once again. Bucky couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that, before taking his arm and squeezing it against his side. Really, Steve was trying just too damn hard. Couldn’t he tell he’d already forgiven him? Couldn’t their sex earlier that week have told him all he needed to know?

Bucky sighed, bemused at how hard Steve was trying. He understood the gravity of this one moment. He understood how stressed it must have been making him feel. He just needed to convince him that there was no need to work so hard anymore. Steve had Bucky. Bucky had Steve. Despite their falling out, things were back on track again. The rest of this date was just formality now, to help the two of them coast back to where they’d left off three weeks ago. Nothing more.

Following Steve up the narrow, wooden staircase, the two of them left the wine cellar restaurant and took a sharp left down the narrow corridor. Bucky could hear the chatter of the bar behind them as they approached the back patio of the fanciful restaurant they had just eaten in. He could hear the beginnings of guitar music outside, and when Steve opened the door that lead out to their dancefloor, Bucky’s eyes lit up.

The patio was not much more than a stone garden, the ground set in flagstone. The garden walls were high and crafted out of the same material, covered in a fine layer of ivy and flowers. Above the garden a giant trellis stretched over the whole area, and from the vine and plant-overgrown wood, strings of twinkling lights lit up the whole area.

“Wow,” Bucky said, his eyes wide as saucers. He felt Steve tug him onto the dancefloor, already teeming with several couples as the acoustic guitarists strummed away, filling the air with soft music. Before Bucky had a chance to react, he felt Steve’s arm wrap around his waist, and he looked up to see him smiling like he was the most important person in the world. “Jesus, Stevie, this is so fuckin’ nice…”

“I know,” Steve said. He looked down, taking Bucky’s right hand in his left. He kept his remaining palm on Bucky’s waist, and Bucky found himself flushing dark red again as Steve picked up a slow, methodical three-step waltz across the stony dancefloor. For a long time, the two of them danced together, completely blind to the world around them as the soft, lilting riffs of guitar music lulled them into a state of comfort. After a long while, Steve broke the silence again, looking down at Bucky fondly. “You know… having you with me is the absolute highlight of this whole night. I hope it’s not too forward of me to say, but I really hope you would honor me by doing this again sometime?”

“Anyone ever tell ya you were a cheesy, sentimental son of a bitch?” Bucky asked. When Steve laughed at his question, Bucky leaned in. Without prompting, he rested his cheek against Steve’s shoulder, just above his heart. Even over the lull of the music and the other dancers, he could hear Steve’s heartbeat, and the way his pulse jumped at the tender gesture.  The sound was soothing, like listening to the crashing of waves on a shoreline, and Bucky melted into his arms in contentment. “But I like that… s’part of why I love you so much…”

Steve’s breath shivered in his chest, before he exhaled. A faint whine left him, and Bucky felt the other shift. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Steve brush his lips over his forehead, christening the skin with his affection before speaking again. “Buck… I-I will… never do anything to hurt you ever again. Just the fact that you gave me this second chance in the first place… you didn’t have to do any of that. I dunno how I got so lucky...”

“Yeah, well...” Bucky said. He looked up at Steve, offering him a small smile. “You’re the Bono to my Cher, babe. It’s just fuckin’ weird when we’re not together, ya know? Like, natural selection, or some shit.”

Steve listened to him. He barked a laugh at Bucky’s explanation, his eyes lighting up a little as he was given that reassuring thought. “But what about the whole… t-the whole Sharon thing? I never got a chance to-” Steve stopped. Looking between them, he forced his gaze away from Bucky’s and swallowed. “I never got that proof you were asking for. You weren’t obligated to take me back without it, but…”

“Proof?” Bucky said. As his mind ran rampant over what Steve was talking about, it clicked; he had, callously, demanded that Steve get him proof that he’d “actually” broken up with Sharon in order to make their relationship official once again. Like some whiny, high schooler, Bucky had laid the ultimatum before Steve and demanded he literally humiliate himself in order to mend his own wounded pride. That’s what Steve had been talking about, and suddenly, Bucky didn’t feel so good anymore.

Shit. Bucky didn’t want to do that to him. Hell, he didn’t even want to do that to _Sharon_ , and the crazy lady had slapped the shit out of him in the middle of a busy public park. It wasn’t just immature. It was wrong, instilling that sort of expectation on their relationship. It set all kinds of bad precedents that Bucky didn’t want to think could negatively impact their lives together. No. Bucky was not going to go down that path. He wouldn’t let himself, and he certainly wouldn’t lead Steve to believe that any sort of forgiveness was only earned by degradation.

“No,” Bucky said. Looking directly into Steve’s eyes, he offered him a determined look. “No. I don’t need that shit. Don’t go around thinkin’ you gotta prove anythin’ to me, Stevie. It ain’t right, and I ain’t gonna be the one to start that tone with a relationship, not having enough trust in each other. And if we don’t got that trust, and have to prove things to each other to feel comfortable, then that ain’t a good relationship.”

Steve listened to him, his eyes twinkling with growing understanding under the soft lights. “Buck-”

“Wait, I ain’t done,” Bucky said. He stopped, putting a pause on their dance as they shared gazes. “All I’m tryin’ to say Stevie, is that I trust you. I don’t need you to prove shit to me, ‘cause I love you. The only thing either either of us gotta prove is whether or not we can remember what kinda topping to put on each other’s pancakes in the morning.”

Steve laughed. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Bucky’s in a tender gesture. The touch was soft, almost a whisper, and Bucky found himself relaxing as Steve held him close to his chest. “Buck… God, you have no idea how amazing you really are.”

“Yeah, well you failed that test, ‘cause you didn’t correct me and prove that you know I like waffles over pancakes,” Bucky said. He gave Steve a cheeky look, bursting into laughter when the blond rolled his eyes at him. “Well, I ain’t wrong!”

“Oh right. I completely forgot you were a smartass,” Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Starting to regret this first date, Stevie?” Bucky asked. He bit his lip, flicking the ring in his lip in a teasing gesture before batting his eyes at him innocently.

“Not at all,” Steve said. Leaning in, he cupped the side of Bucky’s neck, tilting his head up. Without preamble, he leaned in, brushing his lips over his in a gentle whisper of a touch, as his fingers tightened on the back of his neck, almost possessively.

Bucky shuddered, stifling back a sigh of delight. He knew this touch; knew it like he knew his own name. He’d gotten his Stevie back, the guy that was so proud, yet so gentle. This was a kiss that told the whole dancefloor around them “this man is mine, and I’ll never let him go again”. Bucky couldn’t help but lean into his arms, wrapping his own around him in a protective cocoon of warmth and want. Without breaking the moment, he let his eyes drift shut as he tugged on his lower lip, suckling the skin in just the right way that turned his blond idiot into a pile of mushy limbs in his grasp. Sure enough as he mouthed at his lips, turning them bright pink with the insistence with which he worked the skin over, he felt Steve go lax in his arms, his fingers digging into his neck just the slightest little bit as he was lured into his embrace, like a man succumbing to a siren song.

Chuckling to himself, Bucky broke the kiss, looking up at his boyfriend with all the devotion in the world burning in his grey eyes. “Hey... wanna get outta here?” he said quietly. When Steve offered him a confused look and gestured to the guitarists, Bucky shrugged. “We can dance any time. I think we deserve a little alone time right now though. Don’t you think?’

Steve listened, looking back at the crowd around them before a smirk overtook his confusion. “Yeah, I think you’re right,” he said. With that, he tugged on Bucky’s waist, turning him for the door of the patio. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I dunno. Guess we’ll just let the night take us wherever, huh?” Bucky said. Flashing him a loving smile, he threaded their fingers together in a gentle grasp, before kissing his knuckles, one by one. “You’re the driver, Stevie. Why don’t ya surprise me?”

“Always, gotta be the tough one, huh?” Steve said, grinning at him. “Alright. I’ll surprise you. But don’t go complaining if you absolutely hate it. You had no part in deciding, and you better know that.”

“Hey,” Bucky said bumping shoulders with him. “The only thing that matters is the fact that I’m goin’ there with you. I can’t see it possibly bein’ disappointing in the slightest…”

* * *

 

“A’right, a’right!” Bucky laughed, doubled up as he wheezed around his laughter. He had his hands pressed into his knees as he watched Steve trying to balance on one foot as he acted out the scene in front of Bucky. “Okay, fine, I’ll give ya that one. Got anymore brilliant quotes in that brain of yers?”

“Oh you’re asking the right person,” Steve said. He dusted his hands of invisible dirt, before slapping on the most serious face he could manage. “And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.”

Bucky grinned, clapping his hands before straightening up and giving Steve a loving look. “That’s fuckin’ beautiful. You’re a real Shakespearean actor, ya know that?”

Steve shrugged, giving a little bow to Bucky before joining him at the railing. Together, the two of them fell silent, looking out over the water as they took in the sights of twinkling lights emanating off of the Brooklyn Bridge and adjacent Manhattan skyline. With a smirk, he bumped shoulders with Bucky, jarring him slightly as they chuckled, still amused by their earlier antics. “I couldn’t let you show me up, what with your absolutely perfect rendition of the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Oh you certainly did show me up. I didn’t expect that,” Bucky said. Turning to him, he threw his arm around the other’s shoulder, pulling him closer as they butted up, chest to chest against the riverfront railing. “I’m gonna have to brush up on my Monty Python quotes if I ever wanna beat you at your game.”

“I take it, this means you definitely want to go on another date with me?” Steve asked. His voice dropped as he spoke, the closeness of their proximity softening the humorous mood between them as they met gazes.

Bucky smirked. “Oh you better believe it. I mean, I’m free tomorrow night, Mr. Rogers. If you ain’t got anything planned, that is… I’d really love to see you again. Maybe we can do a Python marathon and sushi night, just the two of us?”

Steve nodded. Without missing a beat, he leaned in, brushing the tip of Bucky’s nose with his own, looking only the slightest bit of regretful. “Hell yeah. But if we’re gonna do that that means I might have to call this date officially over. Gotta open the bakery tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock…”

Bucky’s smile fell away as he was reminded of the grim reality that adult life, indeed, still existed outside this incredible date. Sighing, he leaned in, pressing his cheek to Steve’s shoulder before offering up a meek response. “Tha’s too bad. I would have totally invited you up to my apartment for the night, and broke my strict ‘no sex on the first date’ rule, if you wanted…”

Steve laughed, reaching up and cupping the back of Bucky’s head in a tender touch. “Yeah. That is a shame. I would have taken you up on that offer too.”

Bucky nodded. “Though, I guess it’s probably for the best… means, I get to have you all to myself tomorrow night, considering neither of us have to work on Sunday. So I guess it ain’t all bad, ya know?”

Steve nodded. Breaking the embrace, he looked down at his boyfriend, cupping his chin in his palm before winking. “Hey, it’s okay. That just means I get to totally pull the cliche, and drop you off at your doorstep after making out with you in the car for a while, so there’s that.”

“Yer a punk,” Bucky mumbled, though he couldn’t help but smile and turn to press a kiss to Steve’s palm. With a nod, he broke the embrace entirely, reaching out to take Steve’s hand in his. With a gentle tug, he lead him away from the railing, the two of them taking their sweet time as they crossed the park’s expansive greenway back to the parking lot.

Never once did their fingers untwine as they walked, their hands swinging just slightly in the cool evening breeze. They didn’t speak at all, which was just fine for the both of them, before they finally got into Steve’s car to take the twenty minute drive back home. As they rode together, Bucky kept his fingers firmly tucked into Steve’s grip, his free hand wrapped around the rose stem he’d diligently kept with him the entire night. The ride was comfortable, watching the city lights pass them by as soft music played through the car’s stereo speakers. It felt like the culmination of a romantic plot point in a sappy romantic drama, but Bucky didn’t mind in the slightest. To him, it was just perfect, and he couldn’t have asked for a better way to end this do-over date that both men had needed so fervently.

After a painfully short drive, Steve pulled up in front of Bucky’s apartment complex, turning the car off. He turned in his seat, pressing his elbow into the steering wheel as he offered Bucky a crooked, saddened smile. “Well… here we are. I hope this date was everything you hoped it would be.”

“More, actually,” Bucky said. He, too, turned in his seat, offering Steve a longing look. With a gentle touch, he lifted Steve’s knuckles, peppering them with little kisses before looking up at him through the fan of his eyelashes. “And with the promise of gettin’ to see you again tomorrow night? How could I complain?”

Steve smiled, his cheeks flushing a light pink as he listened to Bucky praise him. He averted his gaze to the dashboard, staring at the knobs and buttons for a moment before reaching out again. With a gentle hand, he pulled Bucky closer to himself, practically over the center console of the vehicle, before leaning in and pressing his lips to his.

It was a gentle touch, not much more than a soft brush of skin against skin, but to Bucky, it was the most intense kiss of their evening. This quiet moment, held together by threads of trust that slowly wove themselves back together, it was just the two of them as they shared this moment between them. No matter what had happened in the past, there was only this and the knowledge that everything that happened from that moment on would only be good. Bucky sighed through his nose at the revelation, feeling happier than he had in days. Without hesitation, he reached up and cupped the back of Steve’s head in his, threading his fingers into the golden strands.

Almost instantly, Steve melted. He leaned into the touch, tilting his head just enough to deepen the kiss. A tongue flicked out, gently dabbing at Bucky’s lower lip just by his piercing, and Steve hummed happily as he tugged on that full skin. “I love you,” he mumbled, nipping the fullness of his lip enough to swell it between his teeth.

Bucky inhaled sharply. A soft whine met the still air between them, and he broke the kiss to meet Steve’s gaze once again. “I love you too, ya punk,” he whispered, thumbing the corner of his mouth. When he saw Steve’s eyes light up, his smile turned amused. He leaned back in, capturing his kiss once again. It was a little more insistent, but loving all the same as he pressed on, breaching the seam of Steve’s lips with his tongue. He could taste the faintest residue of the food and drink they’d had earlier that evening, mingled with the always-sweet essence of Steve’s being, and he found himself tumbling just a little bit deeper in love with him (as if that could even be possible). He couldn’t help but seek out more of Steve’s touch, his hands trailing down to trace over the swell of his pecs and the sides of his ribs in little strokes.

Steve’s breath quickened at the touch. Without hesitating, he returned the favor, his own hands snaking down to tug at Bucky’s shirt. Without a word, Steve plucked the hem of Bucky’s white shirt from his jeans, exposing a strip of skin to the air around them before his fingertips began to trace patterns into the skin of his back, pushing further up underneath his shirt. He broke the kiss, leaning down to plant his lips on the side of Bucky’s neck, just above where his tattoo ended, and he sucked the skin, earning a little gasp from Bucky as he worked the bruise into his flesh.

Bucky whimpered, his fingers curling just a bit as he held tightly to Steve’s sides. For a brief, wild moment, those touches ignited his attraction again, and he found himself tumbling down into the chasm of his arousal without a second thought. His mind instantly turned to pudding, the only thought that came to him being that he should drag Steve up to his apartment right the hell now, and fuck off with the idea of waiting to do this until tomorrow.

However, just as his fingers began to work at the collar of Steve’s shirt, pulling the top two buttons open, the sharp ‘bleat!’ of a car horn behind them startled the two men back to awareness. Bucky leaned back, panting quite heavily as he turned to glare at the offending car. It was only for a brief moment before he remembered exactly why that guy was honking at him. They were still sitting in front of the apartment building’s entrance, which had a strict “15 minute” parking limit. Whoever was behind them was probably trying to drop someone off, and yet here they sat, making out like teenagers in the car.

Briefly wondering who it was that was being dropped off and if he was neighbors with him, Bucky smirked at Steve. “Guess this is gonna have to wait ‘til tomorrow after all, huh punk…”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Steve said, breathless. His cheeks were dark red in embarrassment from being caught outright by another person, but he couldn’t help but grin at Bucky as the two of them put themselves back together. “You better get going before whoever is behind us comes running up to the window.”

“Yep. Bastards, all of ‘em, ruinin’ a good time,” Bucky chuckled. Once he was mostly presentable, he climbed out of Steve’s car before leaning into the window and flashed him a loving look. “I’ll see ya tomorrow after 4, okay? My place again. Bring Scout.”

“Should I bring food too?” Steve asked, leaning down a little to smile at Bucky from the awkward position.

“Nah, I got that covered. I know the better places to get sushi from, so don’ you worry a bit. I love you, Stevie.” Bucky blew him a kiss before straightening up to run inside. “See ya tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow, Buck. I love you, too.”

Bucky turned, halfway up the stairs as he watched Steve finally pull away from the curb to take the five minute drive home. Feeling lighter than air, Bucky watched him until he couldn’t see his taillights anymore, before that bubble of excitement welled up in him again. Grinning like an idiot, Bucky turned and skipped into the apartment building, taking the steps two at a time to his floor before finally letting himself into his apartment. He was greeted with the sight of Zima, her fluffy, pudgy body barreling towards him from the other side of the apartment. “Hey, girl,” Bucky mumbled, eager to share his date with her.

Dropping down to his knees, he scooped the pup into his arms, letting her lick his face all over as she scrubbed his fingers through her fur. “You won’ believe what kinda date I had. Stevie took me out to dinner at this awesome place and then we went dancin’, and walked along the bridge…”

Zima listened, her little ears perked forward before she yapped in excitement for her master’s wonderful evening. She wagged her tail eagerly, leaning up to lick at Bucky’s jaw again before pawing at his pocket. Bucky laughed, sitting on the floor as the puppy curled up in his lap.

However, he didn’t have a chance to get comfortable. Almost the instant he sat down, he felt his pocket vibrate and he pulled out his phone, only to see a text message from Steve. It was a single message, but one that made his breath catch in his chest and his emotions tumble about in delight.

 **SR:** _Thank you for giving me the chance to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You didn’t have to take me back, but you did, and for that, I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure I love you the best way you deserve. <3 <3_

Bucky read the text message, feeling just the slightest bit choked up by his words. He looked down at Zima, offering her a happy look before pressing a kiss to her head. “Looks like things are finally back on track, girl…” When Zima only whined in delight, he tapped out a quick response to Steve, feeling like the world was just right once again.

To hell with what the others thought. To hell with the troubles they had faced. They were in this together for the long haul, and Bucky couldn’t help but feel like he had been born the richest, happiest, and luckiest guy in the world...

 

* * *

 

Very very brief picture notes

 

 

And here we have Yelena Belova! I'm so glad we finally got to meet her. I knew that Elizabeth Mitchell would be the perfect Yelena, especially after watching her interaction with Frank Grillo in Purge: Election Year. They make such a cute couple, no?!

And finally some images of the restaurant/bar that Steve took Bucky on for their do over date. One thing to keep in mind, the outdoor picture, just imagine the tables have been cleared away for the dancefloor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay things are back on track! Now it's time to see if the world around them accepts their romance again. Steve still has a long way to go to make up for what has happened in the past. Stick around for the next chapter guys!!


	14. Day By Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day by day, Bucky and Steve relearn how to go about their relationship again. But Bucky's chance encounter with someone totally unexpected might try to derail that effort. It's going to take Steve's reassurance that everything is as it should be to convince Bucky that their relationship is valid no matter what, and he's going to do whatever it takes. Now if only the rest of the world would get with the program and let them be in love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO!!! ANOTHER CHAPTER UP!!!! 
> 
> OMG guys we're getting close to the end of the story! I cant wait for you guys to see what's in store for these two as they fight for their relationship! Awwww yisss, those stupid boys in love!
> 
> Note, there is another instance of Steve wearing lingerie in this chapter, so if that's a trigger for you, this is your warning. It's pretty much during the extent of their sex scene, so just letting you know!
> 
> NOW ONTO THE CHAPTER!!!! AHHHH!!!

“I dunno, babe, are you sure you wanna just have pasta tonight?” Bucky asked, juggling cans of sauce in his hands. He had his cell phone pressed to his ear, his shoulder hunched up awkwardly as he turned, tossing the cans of tomato sauce into the basket with a clumsy grace.

 _“Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t wanna make you do all the cooking by yourself, and I’m not going to get out of work until later,”_ Steve said. His voice crackled with static for a second, ringing over the line as he talked with Bucky via speakerphone. Bucky flinched a little when the phone crackled loudly and he rolled his eyes as he heard Steve curse in the background. _“Sorry, dropped the phone…”_

“Yeah, well yer drivin’ so you shouldn’t be on the phone anyway,” Bucky said with a grin. He turned back to the shelf, grabbing for the spaghetti noodles and placing them gingerly in the cart before heading to the produce section of the grocery store. “Besides, I said I didn’t mind cookin’ for ya tonight. I ain’t _that_ bad of a cook. Besides, that recipe I showed ya looked real good.”

Steve laughed, the sound ringing over the phone and making Bucky’s heart pick up pace. Dammit, even now with the tinny echo of the phone’s speaker ringing out in his ear, Steve’s laughter was infectious enough to crawl deep beneath his skin and drive him insane with his adoration for the blond. _“Buck, even_ I _don’t know how to make beer-braised lamb tacos, and I went and got a pastry certificate to become a better baker.”_

“Yeah, but that’s cakes n’shit. Pillow dough and sugar cement. This is down home meat. I can do meat. You _know_ I can do meat,” Bucky said, grinning as he pushed the cart right up alongside the vegetable racks. “Besides, that cilantro tiki sauce looked pretty fuckin’ phenomenal, and if that Pinterest lady said the recipe was good, fuck all if I’m gonna tell her otherwise.”

Steve laughed louder, the sound of his phone crackling again as he dropped it a second time during their conversation. _“Goddammit,”_ he snickered, taking an audible breath to control his laughter. _“Okay, first of all, it’s_ phyllo dough _, not pillow dough. Second of all, I know like hell you’ve eaten gyros before, you know damn well it’s pronounced tzatziki. And thirdly, now I_ really _don’t trust you in my kitchen unsupervised. Get the pasta stuff for tonight, well try out your stupid lamb tacos on a day when we can actually destroy the kitchen and not feel bad about it. Sound fair?”_

“Aww yiss,” Bucky said, grinning from ear to ear. With a triumphant skip in his step, he grabbed the zucchinis for their pasta sauce, and tossed them into a bag before sidling over to the herbs to pick out some fresh basil. “You really do know how to spoil me, ya know that, sugar?”

 _“Of course I know how to spoil you. It’s the highlight of my life, seeing you turn into a bratty, needy little shit for me,”_ Steve said, his voice fond despite the teasing words. _“Hey, I’m at my drop off, you wanna hang up or do you mind just sitting on hold while I deliver these cupcakes to a client?”_

Bucky grinned, plucking up the freshest container of basil he could find. “Man, am I just that irresistible that you don’t wanna hang up with me? That’s so sweet of you.”

_“Fine, if you don’t want to answer, I’ll just hang up. I mean, I personally know I want to talk to my handsome, charming boyfriend for as long as possible, but if you need some space-”_

“Quit bein’ a martyr,” Bucky cackled. “I’ll hold. Go drop off your cupcakes and come right back, ya punk.”

Steve snickered before the line went dead. Bucky pulled the phone away from his head, glancing down to make sure the call was still connected. When he was certain that the line hadn’t been dropped, he put the phone down on the seat of the shopping cart and made a quick dash over to the fruit section to pick up apples. He remembered, quite suddenly, that Steve had complained about running out this morning when he’d made his lunch for work, and figured if he was at the store anyway, he might as well grab them.

As he perused the selection of honey crisp apples, Bucky allowed his mind to wander over the past few days, and his goofy smile melted into something a little more satisfied. Ever since their do-over date, their relationship had slipped right back into the groove, as if the whole debacle with Sharon had never derailed it to begin with. It was kind of strange, really. The moment Bucky had left Steve’s car after their walk in Brooklyn Bridge park and slipped into his apartment for the night, it was as if the do-over button of life had been slammed with all the enthusiasm of that stupid red “Staples” button and wiped away the ledger of their issues. Bucky had woken up the morning after to find three texts from Steve, one of which consisted of a photo of a sleepy and disheveled looking baker with a rapidly growing kitten perched on his head, and he’d crumbled like a cookie! He’d already long since forgiven Steve for his lie and wholeheartedly accepted him back into his life, but any sort of lingering misgivings he might have had, ruptured like a Dutch tear and putting the last of that negative event out of his mind for good.

Never one to resist a chance to send a shirtless picture to his boyfriend, Bucky had eagerly replied with his own sleepy text message, shooting Steve an image of himself in bed, looking forlornly at the pillow next to him as if to say “I regret not letting you spend the night with me”. Just like that, the two had slipped right back into the love life they had cultivated from a summer romance, and the regrets and pains of their temporary break up had been forgotten as the chilled overcast of winter melts into spring.

Of course, the “talk” of exactly why things had played out the way they had, and why both men had reacted in such a manner hadn’t been forgotten, lingering in the back of Bucky’s mind even as he fantasized about their perfect romance. To be totally honest, Bucky didn’t _want_ to forget about it; to him, it only proved that they had both wanted so badly to make things right that communication had been their only saving grace in the world of this whole unfortunate situation.

Communication… that stupid little word that held such meaning for both of them. If only they had been more open about their feelings and thoughts from the beginning, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe, if Bucky had been honest about Alex and admitted why he’d been even remotely guarded, Steve might have admitted his relationship with Sharon and they could have gone about this the right way in the first place.

Bucky frowned, staring down at the apples in his hand as he thought about that possibility. _‘Yeah right, like he woulda been okay dealing with a self-conscious nutball like me if he knew what kinda baggage I had in the first place,’_ he thought to himself with a derisive snort. He allowed himself only a moment to dwell on that negative thought process, before shaking his head to clear them away. Steve picked Bucky. Steve did everything he could to prove to Bucky that he loved him and wanted only him. What would the purpose be, of dwelling on his own self-consciousness a moment longer when he’d been proven wrong by the only guy that mattered?

With that thought in mind, Bucky settled the apples into the cart and dismissed his negativity for good, picking up his phone to check and see if Steve had returned yet. As he did so, his eyes darted over the produce again, before landing on the store’s selection of plums. Oh yeah, plums… Yelena had been telling him how good they were. Maybe he should give them a try…

 _“Hey Buck, sorry that took longer than I thought,”_ Steve’s voice came in suddenly, startling the brunet from his thoughts. _“Did you get everything you needed for dinner?”_

“Almost,” Bucky replied. He adjusted his phone, balancing it on his left shoulder before reaching out and plucking a couple plums from the stand to try out. “Just need t’get the protein for the pasta. Did ya want meatballs or sausage?”

 _“Well, obviously I’m a big fan of sausage so why don’t we just stick with what we know,”_ Steve replied, his voice sly with hidden meaning.

Bucky barked a laugh, doubling up as he leaned into the handle of the cart. “You nympho, what have I done to ya, baby? You used to be so innocent!”

_“If you’re referring to the incident where you opened my eyes to sexual exploitation of the male form, you were barely involved. All you did was give me a little nudge out of the door.”_

“And now we’re low-key quotin’ Lord of the Rings,” Bucky said, shaking his head fondly as he approached the meat counter with a sappy grin. “Shall I pick up a few good ‘taters to go with those, precious?”

_“Just get the sausage, so I can have two servings of it, tonight.”_

Bucky cackled, pulling up sidelong with the counter to peruse their selection of Italian sausages. “A’right, a’right. Yer comin’ onto me and I’m starin’ at a few good foot-longers right now. It’s gettin’ hot in here, baby.”

_“Oh that sounds good, get the spicy ones. You know what they say, spice is a terrific aphrodisiac.”_

“Oh, baby, just you wait. Yer gonna be so stuffed full’a sausage from both ends, you won’t know what to do with yerself,” Bucky said, grinning wickedly as he leaned into the cooler to grab a package. Of course, just as he bent down, his phone still pressed firmly to his ear, a second hand darted into the cooler, and the two bumped just as they were reaching for the same package. Startled by the sudden collision, Bucky nearly dropped his phone, looking up in wide-eyed surprise to whoever it was he had smacked hands with. But just as he opened his mouth to apologize to his surprise companion, Bucky’s words died on his lips and his mouth instantly dried up as gut-gripping panic overtook him at exactly who he was staring at.

Next to Bucky, standing at the meat counter and clutching the same package he was, was Sharon Carter, and she’d just heard him make an obvious, sexual innuendo at the only other human being on the planet that he could possibly be talking to. “Oh shit…”

 _“Buck?”_ Steve said, his humor dropping instantly at the change in Bucky’s tone. _“Babe, what’s wrong? You okay?”_

Bucky didn’t reply right away. Instead, he let go of the package in Sharon’s hand like it had burned him and he leaned back on his heels, the two eye to eye as the tension in the air grew thick. For a moment, the world stood still as the two lovers, past and present, met for the first time in weeks in what had to be the most uncomfortable encounter Bucky had ever experienced in his life. “Y-yeah, I’m fine… dropped the phone,” he said numbly as he watched Sharon staring at him as if he had no business being out in public. “I gotta go, I’ll call you back…”

With that, Bucky hung up, cutting off Steve’s voice as he tried to pry further into what had changed his mood so drastically. With a careful hand, he shoved his phone back into his pocket, reaching up and adjusting his baseball cap to hide his eyes just a little from her. “Hey, Sharon. Fancy meeting you here,” he said finally. Internally, he kicked himself for how his voice cracked, though he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her. _‘Awesome, let’s talk about dicks in front of Steve’s ex. That’s a great way to start the afternoon off,’_ Bucky thought to himself, bitterly.

“Hello, Bucky. Lovely day we’re having, yes?” Sharon said, her voice cool and collected as she set the package in her fingers down in the basket at her side. The words were almost friendly, though her expression was an unfamiliar one to Bucky. The conflicting messages he got from that brief greeting gave him pause, and he found himself shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny. “It is Bucky right? Or is it James? I can’t remember…”

“James, but… yeah my friends call me Bucky,” Bucky replied, averting his gaze at long last. Staring down into the cooler in front of them, he looked intently at the packages of sausage and hamburger, hoping like hell she’d just go away and leave him alone. “Look, I hate to be that guy, but I got a lotta other stuff to pick up for tonight, and-”

“How’s Steve doing?” Sharon asked suddenly, cutting him off. Her words were so abrupt it made the brunet flinch, and he found himself looking up despite himself. Her expression hadn’t changed from that uncomfortable neutral, as if she were peering right into his soul to see if he was hiding anything from her, and he swallowed around the growing lump in his throat. “I assume that’s who you were talking to on the phone, right…?”

“Y-yeah,” Bucky replied. Reaching up, he rubbed at the back of his neck, the icy cold of the packaging he’d been holding earlier cooling his fingers off and eliciting a shiver from him as he scratched his overheating skin. “Yeah, he was on the phone with me. He’s good. Workin’ a lot…”

“Ah. Yeah. That bakery of his has been a pet project for years,” Sharon said. At long last, she looked away from Bucky, turning to face the cooler head on before speaking again. “I told him for months that opening a bakery would be a bad idea. Most small business fail within the first year but… he’s doing well for himself. I’m happy for him.”

Bucky nodded. He didn’t understand exactly what was going on, but the uncomfortable atmosphere between them had only grown tenfold since this strange conversation had started. But… as much as Bucky just wanted to get away from her and this weird situation, he didn’t feel right condemning her either. Sharon hadn’t done anything wrong to Bucky. She’d been just as caught up in the nightmare of Steve’s lie as he had. The fact that she had even reached out and started an amicable conversation with him at all, instead of launching right back into a screaming fit like she had at the park, spoke volumes to Bucky. Maybe she was just trying to make nice, to amend for accusing him of breaking up their relationship. It was the least he could do, offering her the benefit of the doubt now. “Yeah. He’s the most popular bakery this side’a Brooklyn, actually. Always see his ads in the newspaper and stuff.”

Sharon chuckled in response. “Yeah, I see them too. I had a birthday to go to over the weekend. I actually almost went to Star Spangled to get the cake, but I didn’t think it’d be appropriate. So I went with the next best one.”

“Makes sense,” Bucky said, shifting on his heels. For a moment, silence overtook the two of them again, casting the area in a chilly reminder of their differences. As the moments of silence increased, Bucky felt like the sun had disappeared behind a cloud, darkening the room around them, and he cleared his throat. “At least the uhm… party was good?”

“Oh yes, it was for one of my employees. I’ve been working on my DNP. That’s uh, Doctor of Nursing Practice. Not quite a doctor, but pretty close.” Sharon looked away from the cooler, cracking a smile at Bucky. However as she did, that chilly atmosphere Bucky had felt earlier only darkened further, closing in around him like a shroud of discomfort. Her smile was not a friendly smile; it was a challenging one and quite suddenly, Bucky didn’t feel so good about standing with her anymore.

“Oh… that sounds cool,” Bucky said, looking straight ahead as his nerves began to rear its head at her insinuations. “So like you do doctor stuff, but you don’t get the wear the fancy lab coat.”

“Yes, I will be doing the ‘doctor stuff’,” Sharon said, half-stifling a laugh at his words. “It’s just been interesting balancing work and school trying to fulfill this. Sometimes I envy people like you; easy lives just doing the same old thing every day.”

Bucky almost grimaced. After a moment, he looked at her and opened his mouth to reply. Just as he did, he spotted her staring at the tattoo visible under the sleeve of his t-shirt and he shifted to deliberately turn his arm away from her. “Yeah, not like I’d know what that’s all about, you know… bein’ the grease monkey that I am.”

“Oh, that…” Sharon said. Sighing, she looked up at Bucky, her expression almost apologetic. “Look, I’m sorry I said what I did. I didn’t mean to call you that, I mean it’s kind of a notable act, doing the kind of hard labor you do for so little money. It’s definitely worth appreciating everything mechanics do. I mean, surely you had to go to school for that, right?”

“Trade school. 18 month program,” Bucky said, his tone snipped. “Is there any particular reason why yer suddenly bringin’ that up, Sharon?”

“Actually, yes,” Sharon said, turning to face him fully. “I mean, going to a trade school is nice, Bucky, but you seem so bright. I’m shocked you didn’t go to college.” Sharon sighed, turning to grab her phone from her purse, her attention honing in on the device as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “Steve went to college straight out of high school… graduated Magna Cum Laude and everything.”

Bucky listened to her, his jaw set. Unable to stare at her a moment longer, he turned away and grabbed his basket to finally take his leave. “I don’t think I’m seein’ yer point, lady, so unless yer done tryin’ to make me feel bad, I think we’re done here.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Bucky,” Sharon said, stopping him with a hand on his elbow. “I’m just saying Steve is a really smart man. Unfortunately, those smarts make him a little fickle sometimes. He goes through phases of things he thinks he likes and then moves on when something new interests him. Trust me, I’ve been with him for five years, I know him.” As she spoke, her words struck a chord inside Bucky, and he found himself hesitating, his fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of the shopping cart. Neither spoke as her words soaked in, reminding Bucky exactly how inferior he truly was to Steve… how inferior he was to someone Steve had _dumped_. As the moments dragged on, a black sludge of self-loathing and inferiority coalescing over old wounds, Bucky finally looked up at her, meeting her gaze once again as she continued. “I’m just saying, Bucky… I’m trying to protect you. I don’t want you getting hurt again, because eventually Steve _will_ move on from whatever phase he thinks he’s interested in this time. Be it dating a man, or dating someone he feels can help him retain any sort of youth he might feel like he’s losing. But he will move on eventually, and everything you two have will be obsolete.”

“Hold up, hold up. Yer sayin’ that he’s eventually gonna dump me because he’s gonna think he’s better than me?” Bucky asked. Gobsmacked by her statement, he pushed the cart away from himself, turning to face her openly. “Th’hell do you get off on, sayin’ shit like that?”

Sharon blinked, her smile returning to her lips. “That’s not what I’m saying at all, Bucky. Listen… You seem like a great guy. You’re unique in ways Steve has never really had the luxury of experiencing in his life. Working on cars, getting tattoos and piercings whenever you feel like it… it’s a rebellion against patriarchal society and it’s fascinating to someone who’s only lived by the book. Trust me, I wish I could retain my years in undergraduate, those were fun years! But eventually, that youthfulness fades, and people fall in line with the expectations they’ve been bucking for too long. Ages catches up, and I just don’t want to see you get left behind again when Steve is ready to move on in his adult life and leave behind teenage wishes for good.”

With a shrug, Sharon grabbed for her cart, pushing it past Bucky. As she did, she hesitated at his side, glancing at him side-eyed one last time. “My suggestion: get a college degree. Keep the tattoos and piercings to yourself, and grow into the amazing adult man I know you can be before Steve decides he’s had enough and starts looking for someone else. Please, for your own sake, Bucky. I just don’t want you to go through what I did.”

Bucky stared at her, drowning in her words. What should have been constructive criticism only felt like a hot lash striking across his back, pushing him to his knees and forcing him to look up at her on her pedestal. His earlier anger dwindled into dejection and he felt himself physically wilting under her words. With a sigh of defeat he lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to look her in the eye again. “Tell me something… if he’s lookin’ fer some good, mature relationship and you perfectly fit the bill, then why did he leave you?”

“Because he’s looking for that fantasy, Bucky, and right now you’re his obelisk of hope. I’m just telling you this because I don’t want him getting disenchanted with you and breaking your heart again.” Shrugging her purse onto her shoulder, Sharon waved to him before smiling. “Just think for yourself: maybe if you want to make sure Steve stays yours, it may be time to leave behind Bucky and start being James for him.”

With that Sharon left his side, disappearing into the store like a shadow ghosting off into oblivion. Her essence remained behind, tainting Bucky’s whole mood as her words rang in his head, bashing about inside his skull like rocks shaken inside a tin can. His fingers felt numb as he took her words to heart, a reminder of his past insecurities made flesh in a petite woman with blonde hair and ambitions far outreaching his own successes. Just like that, all the confidence he’d had in his own triumphs and life goals disappeared, leaving him feel hollow, childish, and more than a little worthless in this big, wide world of success stories and Hallmark romances.

“Shit,” Bucky grumbled, for lack of anything else to say. He reached up, tugging his baseball cap down his forehead to hide his eyes from the rest of the store and stared at his shopping cart, feeling lower than dirt. He didn’t quite know how to cope with what he’d just been told, and simply leaned his elbows into the handle of the cart as his mind relayed the past ten minutes in rapid, ugly succession.

Sharon was better than he was, and had made a point to remind him of that. Steve was a better, more upstanding guy than he’d ever be in his life, and she’d damn well made sure to remind Bucky that he was leagues out of his reach. To think that Steve had found it in his heart to fall for someone of such low class when he could have literally any guy or girl in the world only drilled that thought further into his head, and he found himself succumbing to his earlier self-consciousness, sinking fast into darkened oblivion.

His friends had always boasted about how proud and confident Bucky seemed. In reality, his self-surety had taken a damaging blow the day he’d been kicked out of his house by his parents, and had never quite recovered enough to think any better of himself. Sure, he could fluff his feathers and strut like he owned the streets, but in actuality what was Bucky? The tattooed, pierced, video game addict with a guitar, a high school diploma obtained by the skin of his teeth, a short temper and no real future. That’s what the world saw in him… hell, that’s what he saw in _himself_.

Sighing heavily, Bucky leaned back, grabbing his cart and shoving it with no little amount of hostility towards the checkout counters just so he could get the fuck out of that store and go home. Besides, he had to go and start cooking for Steve, so that his boyfriend (perfect, shapely, educated, _adult_ boyfriend) could have a hot meal ready for him when he got done with his real, big boy job. He sighed to himself as he approached the cashier’s lane, feeling just the slightest bit bitter at himself.

No wonder everyone always gave them weird looks whenever they went out in public. They were two puzzle pieces from the wrong side of the goddamn board, trying to fit together in a world where it made no sense. Steve, the perfectly angled middle piece, the support of everyone around him and crucial to the function of the world and himself, the damn extra piece that didn’t quite fit in anywhere else, but sort of hung around because he “had to fit somewhere.” Shit, it wasn’t hard to see exactly how judgmental the world was at the sight of them together. Whenever they went out, most people didn’t assume they were dating. Bucky looked too scary… too criminal to be hanging around the tall, muscled blond with an innocent face and a bright smile in his eyes. How many people thought it strange that Steve would even give Bucky the time of day, let alone sleep with him? How many people thought that maybe it wasn’t such a good relationship at all?

Suddenly, Bucky’s blood turned chilly in his veins, and he swallowed thickly. What if the world looked at the two of them together and assumed Steve was in on a relationship that was abusive? Bucky looked like the abusive type, a scourge on natural society that could take out his anger on his boyfriend whenever he was upset.

Shit… just like he had when they got back together…

The world came to a halt around Bucky, his mind scrambling over the events of their make-up sex as if looking for any signs that he hadn’t stooped to that level. But the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize he’d done exactly that. He’d lost his temper, gotten jealous for no real reason and taken it out on Steve through sex that definitely left a few lasting reminders on his skin. The worst part about it all was the fact that Steve _let him do it_ and still claimed love for Bucky when he should have been running for the hills.

Bucky felt sick as that realization shrouded his mind. He’d done it… done the one thing his father had done to him and Bucky swore he’d never do in return: he’d abused someone he cared about, wounding them because his feelings were hurt. And Steve, the perfect son of a bitch that he was, had forgiven him when he had no reason at all to do so. _‘What kinda monster takes advantage of someone so perfect?’_ he asked himself as he stared at his hands in disgust. What kind of angel stayed with someone who didn’t deserve their love for any reason at all, and continuously worked to make his life better? None of it made any sense...

Bucky was startled from his sickened thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing loudly in his pocket. He blinked away his confusion, offering the disgruntled check-out girl an apologetic look before reaching to grab his phone. There on the screen, he saw Steve’s smiling face lit up as his call came in, and he cursed under his breath. “Sorry,” he mumbled to the girl, before answering the call. “Hey, Stevie…”

 _“Buck, what the hell happened earlier?”_ Steve’s voice cut in over the static of a bad connection, the tone of his voice biting with his concern as he spoke. _“You just disappeared on me. What’s going on?”_

Bucky sighed. He balanced his phone on his shoulder as he reached into the cart and began to deposit his groceries onto the conveyor belt, taking his time to muster up the courage to speak. “Nothin,’ babe, my phone went crazy on me. Froze up n’ shit. I had to reboot it.”

 _“Reboot it?”_ Steve said, his worries fading with minor relief. _“Oh. That’s… that sucks. That’s a newer model too.”_

“Yeah, well, technology and shit. Goes bad when it feels like it,” Bucky said, carefully avoiding the real topic of conversation. By the time he had the cart empty, his shoulder was cramping from holding the phone up, and he straightened out, rubbing it to ease away the kink.

_“Yeah, but that model’s only four months old. It shouldn’t be dying already. Want Tony to take a look at it for you? He’s really good with technology, he might be able to figure out what’s wrong with it.”_

“It’s fine, baby, I swear,” Bucky said, pulling out his debit card. He watched, quietly wincing as he saw the price of his groceries slowly climbing on the girl’s register, and another shudder of dejection overtook him. “I’ll take it back to the store if I have to. It looks like it’s workin’ fine now, though, so maybe it just got stuck.”

 _“Well, alright… if you change your mind, let me know.”_ Steve hesitated before clearing his throat again. _“Buck, are you sure nothing else is bothering you? I can’t help but feel like something else is wrong but…”_ He stopped again, as if thinking better about his question. _“Never mind. Whenever you’re ready, just tell me, okay?”_

Bucky listened, feeling just the slightest bit dirty at Steve’s words. He really did want nothing more than to open up to Steve and tell him his feelings, and how shitty he felt for hurting him the way he did, but… at the same time, he didn’t know if bringing it up now would only strain their relationship once again. Maybe Steve would get angry at Bucky, reminded of the awful things he’d done to him when they’d fucked, and then demand they call this whole thing off.

Maybe he could bring up his feelings to Steve when he was certain it wouldn’t end in heartbreak…

When the cashier gave him his total, he stared at the number for a moment, mentally calculating his budget before handing his debit card over with resignation. “A’right. Listen, I got the stuff for tonight. I’m gonna hang up and head home so I can start cookin’ and make sure food’s hot when you get done with work, okay?”

Steve hesitated, his voice uncertain before he finally found it in himself to speak. _“Alright. I got a couple more hours here before I’m done, then I should be home around 8 o’clock. Jesus this is gonna be a long week of late nights. I hope I don’t actually hate this job by the end of it-”_

“Wait, yer home or my home?” Bucky cut him off, blinking as he scrambled to remember where the hell he was supposed to be going that night. “That’s a real important question, ‘cause it depends on where I’m draggin’ these groceries and which animal is gettin’ fed before we shack up.”

Steve chuckled, sounding a little more relaxed. _“My place, Buck. Me saying 8 o’clock is factoring me giving you a chance to run home and feed Zima. I thought we talked about it this morning.”_

“Oh right. Sorry musta slipped my mind,” Bucky said earnestly. “A’right, 8 o’clock then. I’ll have food done by then.”

_“Thanks babe, I’ll see you then. I love you.”_

Bucky listened to his words, and a soft glow of comfort overtook him. His earlier uncertainty of his actions didn’t go away just because Steve reminded him he loved him, but… it did help a little. At least there was that. “Love ya too. Later, Stevie.” With that, Bucky hung up and pocketed his phone before walking to the end of the conveyor to bag up his groceries and get the hell out of this accursed grocery store for the day.

Sure, he still felt like shit for what he’d done to his boyfriend. Sure he still felt like a monster for his actions and deserved retribution for being a jealous fucking asshole. But... for a moment, it didn’t quite matter anymore. For a moment, he’d forgotten all about Sharon’s piercing words and how easily they had wounded his pride and self-surety. For just a second, Bucky felt a little better about himself and his accomplishments, and he was going to covet Steve’s reassurance for as long as he could.

How could he not? If Steve, of all people, had enough heart in his chest to love Bucky despite all of his sins, then Bucky had to accept that he wouldn’t be able to change his mind, no matter how poorly he or the rest of the world thought of him.

* * *

 

Steve straightened out, reaching up to push the strands of hair from his damp forehead. He gave a short, appreciative nod at the work laid out before him, before dusting his hands of the flour caked into the creases of his fingers, and heading to the sink to wash them. “I think we got ‘em all, Tony!”

Tony poked his head through the door, looking past Steve to the mountains of cupcakes and cookies he’d just finished packaging up, and nodded in agreement. “I think so, too. God help us if it rains tomorrow at the park and the whole “theater on the green” event gets cancelled, though. I don’t think I can eat that many cookies in one sitting. Gotta keep the svelte figure, you know.”

Steve laughed, drying his hands off on a towel before grabbing his glasses from the shelf and settling them on the bridge of his nose. “If you’re that worried about your figure you might wanna reevaluate how many martinis you drink on any given Saturday. That’s pure empty calories right there, genius.”

“Very funny, Cracker Jack, not everyone has the metabolism of a god,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. Grabbing a chart off the counter, he entered the kitchen of the bakery and began to take a final tally of the sweets Steve had just finished preparing before glancing at the flour-dusted baker with a curious look. “Speaking of gods, how did your do-over date go? You’ve been way more chipper this whole week, but I haven’t heard a word about it since then. I take it everything went well?”

Steve nodded. He took a seat, giving himself a much needed break as he watched Tony make his final counts by hand. It had definitely been a long week for Steve. Staying late every night to prepare for this event had taken a toll on him and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into Bucky’s bed and snuggle up to him for a month just to recover. At least after the following day’s events, things would go back to normal again and he could go right back to loving his business like the child he’d never have. “I guess it’s safe to talk about it again. At first I didn’t wanna bring it up, you know… just in case I jinxed myself, but everything is phenomenal. The date was a huge success and Bucky has been wonderful.” Steve sighed to himself, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head. “It’s like everything just picked up where it left off.”

“Well I’m glad to hear it. Not because it means I don’t have to watch you whine about lost love every single day, mind you,” Tony said, glancing at Steve carefully. “Seriously. It’s good to see you happy again.”

Steve listened, unable to wipe the smile from his face. Tony’s words touched him, even if they were a bit odd, and he offered his friend an appreciative nod. “Thanks… really, it means a lot to me.”

“Don’t mention it. Not in public, at least. I can’t have the whole of Brooklyn thinking I’ve gone soft or something,” Tony replied, waving his hand dismissively. With that, the two of them fell silent again as Tony worked and Steve scrolled through his phone. The air was quiet and comfortable around them, betraying no hints of the previous animosity that had lingered in this bakery a few weeks prior. However, as Steve found himself lingering on a humor web-site, saving random photos he knew Bucky would appreciate, he heard Tony clear his throat and he looked up. “So… how are Bucky’s friends handling it? From what I gathered, they were totally up in arms about you breaking his wee little heart. I can only hope they’re being as understanding about it as Bucky is.”

Well… that was a thought Steve hadn’t even begun to grasp yet. He hadn’t even thought of Bucky’s friends, too focused on the aftermath of his relationship to give them much thought. A phantom pain of Brock’s punch suddenly flared to life in his jaw, and he absentmindedly reached up to rub where the bruise had been previously. “Uhm no. Actually I don’t know if they even know we’re together again,” he said, sheepishly.

“Oh boy. Let’s not start round two of this secrets thing again, shall we?” Tony said, turning to face him. He leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms to level Steve with a paternal look of disappointment. “Honestly, Steve. You better be planning on telling them sometime soon, yeah?”

“We will, we will!” Steve said, waving his hands. “No way, never going through that shit again. I swear it. We just needed some us time to get used to dating again, that’s all. I don’t think telling them right away would have been wise, considering they all want my head on a pike right now.”

“Hmmm… good thought,” Tony agreed, resuming his previous work. “Well now that your honeymoon phase of rekindled romance is out of the way, I suggest you two come clean to his friends before it bites you both in the dick. Just my unwanted advice, I’m no Sam Wilson you know. Most I can offer is a drink and a few witty comments from these golden lips to try and guilt you hard enough into doing it.”

“Golden lips, my ass,” Steve snorted, shaking his head. “Listen, bud, the charm works on the ladies, but I’ve known you too long. It won’t fly with me. I can manage my own guilt tripping, thank you very much.”

“Oh don’t tell me you haven’t thought about how plush and wonderful my lips are. Now that I know you bat for the other side, honestly tell me… which side’s my better side?” Tony said, fluttering his lashes at him before striking a wholly unattractive pose. “Panty-dampening goodness, yes?”

“Oh my God,” Steve said, grimacing at his friend. “You’re a lunatic.”

“A genius lunatic. Some of the best kind,” Tony snorted, glancing down at his chart. “Well, I think that’s that. Let’s put these in the fridge for tomorrow and wrap it up. You have to get home to your boyfriend, and I have an unrequited dinner date with mi familia.”

Steve grinned, pulling his apron off and tossing it into the washing machine. “Oh? I didn’t know you had a family, considering you never talk about them. For a while now, I thought you were grown in a test tube.”

“You watch yourself, Rogers, I have a highly respected relationship with my mother. My father… eh, he kinda tags along for the ride,” Tony said, waving his hand at him as he picked up another container of cakes for the next day and deposited them into the fridge. “Not everyone can have the All-American home life you know.”

Steve shook his head, exhaling through his nose, before glancing at Tony from over the rim of his glasses. “Not quite so All-American, if you ask me. I lost Joe Rogers when Mr. Smirnoff walked into our lives and took him away. You know that.”

Tony nodded, his earlier cheer melting away just a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I know about that,” he said quietly. After a moment’s silence between them Tony spoke up again, layering his voice with cheer. “But hey, Sarah makes up for two, so you’ve got that going for you. Say, speaking of that,” Tony added, holding a finger up. “Did you ever introduce Bucky to Sarah? You two have been unofficially dating for two months now. I’m shocked she hasn’t adopted him yet.”

“You know what…? I haven’t,” Steve said, his voice soft. How odd that he hadn’t thought to do that himself. “It just never came up in conversation, you know?”

“Well there you go! There’s your next big date plans,” Tony said with finality. “Have a family meet-and-greet. Introduce Bucky’s parents to Sarah, and vice versa. Who knows, maybe we’ll have a legitimate wedding invitation by the end of the summer.”

Steve hesitated, cringing a little. “A-actually… Bucky’s parents threw him out when he was 17 years old. He hasn’t seen them in a decade. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t appreciate a random dinner-date invitation with their gay son’s boyfriend and his mother, you know?”

“Eugh… I read you loud and clear,” Tony said with a shake of his head. “Okay, so just introduce Bucky and Sarah. You know like hell she won’t give a crap about that sort of thing. Make a night of it, talk cute boys on T.V. That sort of thing.”

“You’re right,” Steve said, smiling a little. “That’s actually a really good idea. Why do you always have the great ideas, Stark?”

“Genius. We established this already,” Tony said, throwing Steve’s jacket to him from the doorway. “I’m gonna skedaddle. You have a good night and don’t get lost walking home, alright?”

“I’m not going very far,” Steve said, gesturing to the garage. He shifted, scratching at his shoulder where the cloth beneath his shirt itched his skin, and he cast a little smirk at the door. “I’m supposed to meet Bucky at the garage in a few minutes. But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I can find my way.” He waved to Tony, watching the brunet bow low to him before he returned to the kitchen to finish tidying up after himself. A few moments later, he heard the little jingle of the door bell ringing through the bakery, and Steve leaned against the counter, staring down at the last tray of cookies that had been left out.

He really had to consider himself lucky. Without Tony and Sam in his life, Steve didn’t know how he could have possibly gotten over the break up he’d suffered. Shit, they’d pulled his ass out of the fire too many times his whole adult life to take them both for granted now. Really, what would he do if they decided to leave him behind? “Probably fall flat on my damn face,” he said to himself out loud before picking up the tray and putting it away.

Shaking himself back to reality, Steve locked up the freezers for the night, and headed out to the front of the bakery to leave. Just as he did, he spotted a little note left on the counter, left strategically by the registered he’d have to close up before he left. He picked it up, confused as to where it came from before he recognized Tony’s handwriting, and a huge smile crossed his lips at the words he saw scrawled across its length.

_My suggestion… plan that dinner date with your mom. Don’t forget! I’m pretty sure Sarah won’t be the only one who appreciates the meeting._

“Oh, don’t worry,” Steve said to himself, folding the note and stuffing it into his pocket. “I think we both know that…”

* * *

 

Steve had shown up at the garage nearly an hour prior, and he still couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling of being glared at from his mind. The unwelcoming looks he’d gotten the moment he’d stepped foot into the garage still felt like an uncomfortable blanket of coarse wool scraping against his flesh, making him squirm under the heat and scrutiny of it.

Of course, he’d planned his arrival wrong. Apparently, he was really good at fucking things up with Bucky’s friends.

It had been late enough in the evening that Steve hadn’t expected to find anyone else there. He’d thought wrong. The moment Steve had let himself into the garage, expecting to find Bucky hanging up his tools for the night, he’d been met with the sight of the rest of the mechanics looking up to the door, only to hone in on Steve with the precision of heat-guided missiles. Of course, they all knew that Steve and Bucky had gotten back together again, but that didn’t change their feelings on his mistake in the slightest. Honestly, who was Steve to think that they would just easily forgive him for breaking their best friend’s heart like he did?

Cowering under the heat of their stares, Steve had tucked himself into the corner of the garage, waiting for Natasha to approach him before mumbling that he was just waiting for Bucky to finish up so he could walk him home. Natasha, the only one that seemed to harbor any sort of civility towards Steve at that moment, had merely nodded in understanding before walking away, never uttering a word to him the whole time. Luckily it seemed that her slight gesture had broken the spell, and the moment she left his side, the remainder of the mechanics dispersed, leaving Bucky obliviously working alone at his station. Their departure was eerie, as if they had planned this with the utmost synchronicity in mind, disappearing from sight just as ghosts fade away into the shadows.

Just like that, the garage was vacant once again, leaving just Steve and Bucky alone to the chilly, unwelcoming atmosphere around them. It was only then, that Steve finally approached his boyfriend, more than a little confused as to why he’d not even looked up when he’d arrived a few minutes prior. The moment he laid his hand on his shoulder, Bucky looked up, totally startled by his appearance, before pulling the earbuds he had hidden behind his hair and immediately dragged Steve into an earnest hug with a faint smile and a welcoming kiss.

That was how Steve found himself perched on Brock’s work station an hour later, watching his boyfriend vehemently work on an auto lock braking system to finish as quickly as possible. It had been with utter embarrassment that Bucky had expressed he couldn't leave yet, despite promising Steve he would be done by 8pm at the latest, and apologizing for being so tardy with his work. Apparently, he’d gotten sidetracked with an emergency car repair earlier that morning and just “had to finish this damn brake system” before he left for the day.

Of course, Steve couldn’t fault him for that. He’d taken a whole week of overtime himself to finish up baking for his weekend event. If anyone understood being pressed for time, it certainly was Steve. So with a reassuring smile, and the promise from Bucky that it was absolutely okay that he stay on the garage floor while he worked, Steve had taken roost, busying himself with drawing in a pocket sketchbook while Bucky worked tirelessly on his own tasks.

“What th’hell’yre you drawin?” Bucky’s voice cut in, shaking Steve from his thoughts. He looked up from the sketch pad to see Bucky watching him, his oily hands resting on his jean-clad hips and a crooked smirk on his lips. Steve blinked, feeling his cheeks flushing a little as he took in the sight of his boyfriend standing across from him. Apparently at some point during the past hour, Bucky had gotten hot while working and had simply whipped off his shirt, leaving him topless as he bent over the workbench tirelessly. And to think he’d been so preoccupied with his drawing, he’d missed that show... “You been starin’ at that book like its yer new lover. Don’ tell me I gotta be jealous of a drawing, babe.”

“Don’t be a dweeb,” Steve chuckled. He held the book up to Bucky, showing off his sketches. On the paper, an abstract drawing had been penciled in, showing off a possible cake design from three different angles. “I’m still trying to pick my design for the bake-off in August. Relax, your masculinity is safe.”

“What’s it supposed to be,” Bucky said. He reached out, snatching up his work rag and doing his best to dry off his hands before taking the pad from him. He turned the pad this way and that, staring at the paper with all the intensity in the world before raising a brow. “I don’ get it.”

Steve smirked. “I dunno, I’m just sketching. Thought I was gonna try for some sort of digital-type art. Like a 3D sculpture of a digital glitch.”

“Oh,” Bucky said, looking down at the paper again. “I see it now. Y’think you can really build somethin’ like that? This looks real complicated.”

“Like I said, I’m just sketching,” Steve said, taking the paper back. “Usually I have a design picked by now, but with everything going on lately, I kind of got… well, side-tracked.”

Bucky hesitated as Steve spoke, his smirk folding almost instantly. “Oh… right, ‘cause of the… the thing between us,” he said, looking down at his work station. “Yeah, I guess I could say th’same thing… lotta shit about that’s been on my mind too.”

Steve frowned, instantly cluing in on Bucky’s tone. Something about their breakup was still bothering him, almost a week after it had been resolved? No wonder he seemed a little distracted that day…  “Buck? What’s going on?” he asked. He instantly put the paper down, getting to his feet. In two strides, he’d circled around Bucky’s station, putting his hand on a bare shoulder to get his attention. “Babe, what is it? Is something wrong?”

Bucky shrugged, staring at the bench. “No… I mean, yeah, kinda but-” He stopped, hedging on his words as if they had simply gotten stuck coming out. He went silent for a painfully long moment, before finally heaving a deep sigh and looking Steve in the eye. “Okay, we said no secrets from each other, so I’m just gonna come clean.”

Steve frowned, feeling his gut clench at his words. His fingers tightened on his shoulder, not wanting to let go of him for a second. “Buck?”

The moment dragged on. For a second, it seemed that time had stopped, leaving the two of them locked in a limbo of uncertainty before Bucky spoke, shattering the illusion at last. “It’s just… remember th’day we got back together? When we had sex in my apartment and I was real rough with ya?”

Steve frowned, tilting his head curiously. “Yeah? What about it?”

Bucky sighed, the sound hedging on a whine. “Just... I been thinkin’ about how rough I was with you, and shit. Chokin’ ya, spankin’. It’s been botherin’ me, like I went too far or something.” Looking up at Steve, he offered him a pained look. “I just- I feel fuckin’ terrible for that. Like I took it way too far, and I’m… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby.”

Steve listened to him, his eyes widening. As he listened to his boyfriend’s pleading apology, the shame of his actions clearly painted on his features, Steve realized exactly how that might have looked. Fucking hell, to an outsider, what they had done that afternoon could have been taken totally out of context. And… well, yeah, after their sex that night, Steve had had bruising on his ass from the spanking, and his throat had hurt after they’d fucked, but none of that had been unwanted! Steve had _wanted_ Bucky to spank him that hard. He’d _wanted_ him to choke him while they had sex. Bucky _hadn’t_ crossed a line, not in Steve’s eyes! And to think he’d been worried about that for two weeks...

“Buck- Oh Buck, baby no,” Steve said eagerly. Reaching up, he cupped his cheeks in his palms, leaning in and pressing him into a tender kiss. “Bucky, please don’t think you did anything wrong. I wanted that! What we did… the choking, the spanking, I wanted it all!”

“But why?” Bucky asked, frowning at him. “Don’ think I didn’t see the bruises on yer ass the next mornin’. I _hurt_ you, and I-I just don’ get why you wanted me to do that to you at all, when we never discussed it.”

Steve sighed. Leaning his forehead into Bucky’s he lingered for a second, holding tightly to him. Why _did_ he feel the need for such rough treatment when they had sex that night? At first, Steve couldn’t put a finger on it, settling on the reasoning that they just needed the catharsis of enthusiastic sex to feel better. Then it occurred to him exactly how he’d felt after they had finished, and he frowned.  “I dunno. Maybe I thought I needed that rough treatment from you. Like as a reminder of what I almost ruined, and how badly I messed up. It’s hard to explain.”

“So yer sayin’ it was like a punishment?” Bucky asked, looking more than horrified at the notion. “Jesus, Stevie, I didn’ want it to seem like I was punishin’ ya!”

“No, not exactly that,” Steve said, trying to placate the worry on Bucky’s features. He reached up again, cupping his cheeks gently to level him with an earnest look. “Not a punishment. I dunno, I just… I needed to know that I still had that kind of trust from you. That you’d trust me enough to know what I wanted and how much. And, I guess, trust in myself to know that I would never let myself make such a mistake again. It’s-” Steve paused, huffing a slightly amused laugh. “It’s kind of a fucked up thought, I know. But please don’t think you did anything wrong or that you did anything that bothered me, because you didn’t. I swear on my soul, it wasn’t anything like that.”

Bucky listened to him, seemingly uncertain if he could believe Steve. The look of disappointment in himself glistened in his eyes, tiny black gems that darkened his blue-grey gaze with uncertainty and doubt. But the longer they lingered like this, taking in the sight of each other for a long moment, the more Bucky relaxed in Steve’s touch. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his cheek to his shoulder as he held onto him for dear life. “Well… if it’s all th’same to you, I don’ think I wanna do anythin’ that rough with you anymore. I just felt like a jealous asshole after that. I mean, I’m all for crazy sex, but that was too far for my liking.  And trust or not, I don’t wanna see any kind of bruises on ya like that again. Not unless they’re hickeys.”

Steve smirked. He shook his head, pressing his cheek to his temple and relaxing at long last. This right here, was the kind of talking they should have done in the first place. Not keeping secrets from each other or lying about their feelings just because they were worried it might offend the other. This was the moment of triumph, of maturity that Steve clinged to like a lifeline in this hectic sea of life, and he couldn’t help but press a relieved kiss to Bucky’s hair in celebration of this moment. “You got it babe. Crazy sex is a go. Angry sex, not so much.”

“Good,” Bucky mumbled, tightening his grip on Steve’s waist. For the first time that evening, he smiled a genuine smile and he leaned back to offer Steve a loving look. “We’re cool? I mean, this ain’t somethin’ that’s gonna disappoint you later on, is it?”

“Nope,” Steve said. He glanced down at Bucky, offering up the gentlest of smiles. In a moment’s turn, that same smile took on an air of mischief, and he glanced down at himself, where their chests were touching, white button up to sweaty skin, and he slowly pulled his glasses off with a chuckle. “But uhm… if you really are okay with crazy sex, I guess It’s okay if I give you your Friday Night Delight a little early. I was gonna wait until we got back to your place, but I think you kinda need the reassurance now.”

“What?” Bucky asked, raising a brow. His eyes tracked down from Steve’s face down to where he was looking, confused for a moment. That confusion melted away almost instantly, and he inhaled sharply. “You didn’t…”

“I did,” Steve said grinning at him. “I figured you’d like it, and I wanted to make it up to you for having to work late so many nights in a row. And since we ruined the red set, I did a little shopping-”

Steve didn’t even finish his sentence. As he spoke, he watched in amusement as Bucky’s hands came up, tracing a faint line of oil into his white shirt as he worked the buttons open in quick succession. He shivered the slightest bit when Bucky tugged the cloth open, exposing his chest to the cool air of the garage. Beneath his shirt was his prize, and he watched as Bucky openly salivated at the sight of a brand new, all white lace bra stretched over the expanse of his pecs. As silent as the grave, Bucky let go of Steve’s shirt and let it fall to the ground as he reached up, cupping his palms over Steve’s chest to feel the satin and lace beneath his fingers. “Jesus H. Christ, Stevie, yer gonna kill me someday…” he mumbled. Looking up at him, he offered a wicked grin. “Is it a set again?”

“Oh yeah.” Steve said. With a gentle touch, he leaned in to press a kiss to the tip of Bucky’s nose before his hands snaked down, undoing his belt. However, before he could undo the button of his jeans, Bucky’s hands shot out, swatting his fingers away from his clothing.

“Nu-uh. Lemme do it, baby,” Bucky mumbled. His eyes burned with a hungry intent as he carefully opened Steve’s jeans. With a reverence reserved for the holiest of men, he slowly peeled the offending denim off of Steve’s hips, careful not to snag the garter straps and the lacy thigh-highs as he worked. By the time he got down to the floor and gathered the thick cloth in a bunch, his cheeks were flushed with arousal and he uttered a broken moan. “Fuck, baby, you really like thigh-highs don’ you?”

“They’re growing on me,” Steve replied. With a grin of his own, he leaned back against Brock’s work station, opposite of Bucky, and canted his leg just enough to show off the bulge of his cock in his panties. “Besides, I know you like seeing them on me, so of course I’m going to buy them for you.”

“Yer a cheeky son of a bitch,” Bucky cooed, looking up at him. Like a graceful cat on the prowl, Bucky slowly crawled up Steve’s body, letting his hands trace over patches of his bare skin before he reached around to cup Steve’s ass. Of course, just as he did, his eyes widened impossibly, the moment his palms brushed over bare skin. “Jesus fuck, is that a thong?”

“What? Don’t like thongs?” Steve asked. As if to prove a point, he rocked his hips back against his hands, pressing the globes of his ass into his palms a little more firmly. “I mean, I think they’re comfortable as hell, but if thongs aren’t your thing, Buck-”

“Just turn around and lemme get a good look,” Bucky growled. His tone had taken a feral turn, hunger apparent in his words. Without waiting, he gripped Steve by the hips and turned him, pushing his hands into the workbench. Steve felt the brunet position him just right, and he went willingly, spreading his legs a bit as he curled his fingers into the dirty wood to hold tightly. “Fuck me, you got such a pretty ass…”

Steve giggled, unable to help himself. He felt his cheeks flushing a little, and he turned to look at his boyfriend. Even from here, he could see the desire growing steadily in his gaze as he catalogued the sight of his pale ass, framed in the lacy touch of a perfect whale-tail. He gave his hips a little wiggle, watching as Bucky’s eyes dilated further, and he spoke in a low tone. “Ohhh, you _do_ like this… I take it this makes you feel a little better than earlier?”

“More than better. I feel on top of the fuckin’ world,” Bucky purred. Steve watched him reach out again, as if to cup his hips in his palms, and he allowed his eyes to drift shut in anticipation. But that’s not what he got. Instead, he felt those strong arms wrap around his waist, grabbing his wrists and pulling him flush against his front. Steve gasped the moment he felt Bucky’s tool bag press into his ass, the cold touch of metal and canvas making a shudder race up his spine. As Bucky held him close, Steve looked down in time to see the brunet pull his wrists close and lash them together with a grey cloth, binding them in a loose knot before he finally let go of his hands again. “Stay just light that,” Bucky mumbled, pressing his lips to his shoulder.

Steve nodded as a whimper escaped him. The moment Bucky leaned away from him, the cool air of the garage brushing across his bare back, he allowed himself to relax further, anticipating the feel of those calloused fingers brushing over his ass. With a moan, Steve’s eyes drifted shut as Bucky continued to trace the seam of his thong in gentle strokes, reverently blessing his skin with his appreciation with each, coarse stroke.

It was only when he felt warm air against his crease, did Steve open his eyes again. He looked down towards Bucky, his eyes widening with glee as the brunet dropped to his knee, his tongue snaking out to trace the line of that thong in a gentle lick, across the top of his ass, and down in between his cheeks in teasing little strokes. With Bucky’s hum of approval at the tender touch, Steve nearly collapsed, pushing his bound hands into the table for more support in the effort to keep himself from going face-first into the bench. “Nnnnh…. Buck, you sure you wanna do this in here?” he managed to croak. Already, his lust was raging for the other, the feel of the silky lace pulled tight across the line of his erection. He fought like hell not to rock forward, knowing that the table was just dirty enough to soil the color of his panties, which was the last thing he wanted. Instead, he dug his fingertips into the wood, grounding himself as much as he could in this difficult moment. “I mean, I was gonna take you back to the break room or something, but out here..?”

“Hell no, fuck the break room,” Bucky mumbled. Looking up at Steve, his eyes flashed with delight as he slowly got to his feet. Turning Steve around, he tugged him away from the bench, pushing him back against the hood of the car Brock had been working on earlier. The contrasting black shine of the car’s hood stood out against his pale skin and even paler lingerie, and Steve felt his cheeks flushing as he saw the look of pure desire fill his boyfriend. “I gotta admit, babe. You’d definitely look good on the cover of a car magazine… ‘specially right now.”

“Well, maybe I’ll talk someone into taking a few photos of me, just for you. But I’ll ask you again. Are you _sure_ you wanna fuck in here and not at least in the break room? I know that look, and you’re definitely about to lose your mind. I’d hate to have to get oil and dirt on this thong and can’t wear it for you anymore.” Steve purred. He batted his eyes at Bucky, taking the moment to press his tied hands closer, just enough to squeeze his lace-bedecked pecs together, and he winked. “Better hurry up and decide, ‘cause seeing you like this has me seriously hot babe, and I don’t think I’m gonna be able to wait any longer.”

“Fuckin’ hell, yer a little cocktease,” Bucky said. With a swift motion and very little thought, he grabbed Steve’s clothing and began, with much difficulty, helping him dress. He fumbled every so often before reaching up to undo the lash he had around his wrists. “Get dressed. We’re goin’ to my place, right now.”

“That’s more like it,” Steve growled in desire. With a sense of urgency, he grabbed for his shirt, throwing it on and haphazardly doing the buttons just as Bucky managed to wriggle his jeans back up his legs. In record time, the two managed to get his clothing on, before Bucky was unceremoniously throwing his own tank-top on and grabbing for Steve’s wrist to drag him outside. “Wait, what about your work station?”

“I’ll text Clint n’tell him I’ll clean my shit up later,” Bucky said, grinning like a lunatic. “Don’ tell me yer gettin’ cold feet now.”

“Like fucking hell,” Steve said, his voice challenging.

Within minutes, the two of them managed to barge their way into Bucky’s apartment, finally away from the prying eyes of the public. Steve didn’t quite know how they had managed to get to his place so quickly, but if the looks of surprise from other pedestrians was anything to go by, the two of them looked like they were on a mission. _Mission Impossible: Sex_ came to Steve’s mind and he snickered to himself at that thought. He wondered just how many people knew what they were both up to as they rushed home, half-put together and flushed, and suddenly it occurred to him that it was the hottest thing he’d felt in a while, teasing random strangers with how horny he looked in public.

By the time Bucky had managed to slam the door shut and lock it, Steve had already shucked his white shirt off, throwing it on the floor before capturing his pretty brunet in a kiss. Pushing Bucky back against the door, Steve took command of the kiss, his fingers ghosting over his throat, his chest, everywhere he could reach, as he slotted Bucky’s thigh between his own to grind down against him. His head felt light and full of delicious, fuzzy cotton candy, drowning against every nerve and every sensation as he moaned into the kiss, turned hotter than he had been since their make-up sex a week prior. “ _Mmmh_ c’mon Bucky,” Steve panted, grabbing at his tank top to pull it off of his torso. “I’m getting impatient here.”

“Yer a little shit,” Bucky mumbled. Pushing him back, he tugged his tank top off, launching it into the room. The faint sound of it landing on a shelf and knocking something over echoed into the room, but Steve was deaf to it as he saw the faint flush creeping across Bucky’s olive-toned chest as the two of them stood, topless together. “Get yer ass in the bedroom so I can make proper love to you like a gentleman.”

Steve beamed, fighting back a giggle. “That’s so romantic,” he said. This time, he took Bucky’s wrist in his, the two of them darting across the apartment and straight into the bedroom. With a careful hand, Steve pushed Bucky to the bed, watching as the brunet sat back, kicking his jeans and underwear off before lounging back against the pillows. Steve took his time, watching as he leaned back against the headboard, his cock standing proudly from his hips as he stared at Steve with all the desire in the world.

“Okay, so _one_ of us is naked,” Bucky said waggling a brow at him. “Now hop to it. Lemme see that thong again, baby.”

Oh Steve was helpless to resist. As he heard the low croon of Bucky’s voice, enticing him to show off his present, Steve worked quickly. With a gentle hand, he unfastened his jeans, pushing them down his legs before gingerly stepping out, one foot after the other before he tossed his pants to the side to crawl up the bed. With his stockings and his thong and his bra pulled tight across his pink chest, Steve advanced on his lover, slinking up the bed until he was hovering right over him. “There. Got exactly what you wanted. Everything you ever dreamed of?” Steve asked, smiling a loving smile at him.

“Everythin’, and more,” Bucky replied. With that, he reached up and grabbed hold of his shoulder, pulling him closer. He carefully adjusted Steve, pushing him to straddle his waist as he leaned up to kiss a faint trail across his chest. Every so often, he nibbled at the lace of his bra, or flicked his tongue out to taste the pert nub of his nipple through the garment. As he worked his chest over, Bucky’s hands never stopped gliding over the skin of his backside, tugging on the thong before letting the elastic of the waist snap against his skin. When Steve flinched, uttering a moan at the faint sting, Bucky’s hands moved, gripping at his thighs as his fingertips pressed the fabric of his thigh-highs into his skin. “This is so fuckin’ hot…”

“I know,” Steve mumbled in response. With a hiss of delight, he rocked his hips back, grinding down against his cock and picking up pace. As he rutted up against his dick, wanting nothing more than to feel that stretching him open just the way he liked it, Steve leaned down, wrapping his arm around his neck and pressing a firm kiss into the column of his throat. He bared his teeth almost instantly, biting gently at his skin until Bucky cried out and arched up into the gyrations of his hips. “That’s more like it… finally getting with the program.”

“Yer a little bastard!” Bucky moaned. Leaning back into the headboard of his bed, he looked up at his boyfriend, his pupils blown wide as he breathed heavily in an attempt to get his hormones under control. “You really want me to fuck you up, don’ you?”

“Only in the most loving, romantic way possible,” Steve beamed at him. As he spoke, he felt Bucky’s fingers tracing up his thighs to his hips again. He looked down, watching in fascination as he gripped the hem of his thong in his fingers, slowly peeling them off his hips and down his thighs. Without prompting, Steve slowly adjusted himself, allowing Bucky to roll the thin cloth off of his body, before finally plucking them from his ankles. When his own cock was bare, Steve settled back down onto his lap, giving him a curious look as Bucky held the thong up like a trophy. “Don’t wanna fuck me in it?”

“Nah. Not this time. Gotta save ‘em for later,” Bucky said. With a wicked gleam, he lifted the thong up to his lips, and bit down on the fabric, letting the loosened lace dangle from his lips as his now free hands kneaded at Steve’s backside in a firm touch.

Well… fuck, that was kinda hot. Steve swallowed around the lump in his throat, feeling his face flushing redder by the second. Even still, he couldn’t stop the motion of his hips as he rocked on Bucky’s lap, drawing out another loud moan from his boyfriend as their cocks brushed, uninhibited by cloth. “Probably a good idea,” Steve finally managed to choke out. Shit, he had to get a hold of himself. Shaking his head, Steve pushed his hands into Bucky’s bare chest, using the leverage to change the angle of his own hips as he rode his lap, cock to cock, and drawing out his pleasures. “W-well… you just gonna sit there with that thong in your teeth, or are you gonna do something about it?” he asked, pushing out his words with some form of authority.

Bucky grinned, snatching the lace from his teeth and tossing it to the bed. Without a word, he grabbed for the side drawer, pulling out a fresh bottle of lube, and dropping it to the bed. “My God, yer a needy little bottom. I fuckin’ love it,” he groaned. As he spoke, Bucky suddenly shimmied down the bed a little bit, pushing Steve up to his knees as he slid underneath him. Before Steve had the chance to question what he was doing, Bucky leaned up, face-level with the blond’s dick, and took him down his throat, swallowing heavily around the head. He sucked his cock, mumbling in the back of his throat as he did. Never once did his fingers stop their kneading gesture, spreading his asscheeks just a bit before he let go to smack his palm across the bare skin at his disposal.

Steve gasped, bucking forward into his mouth almost instantly. His fingers instantly latched onto the headboard of the bed as Bucky worked efficiently, sucking him off like it was the greatest pleasure in the world. The feel of his lace bra brushed against his chest, almost coarse against his oversensitive nipples, and he found himself fighting for every breath that filled his lungs. “ _Nnnnhhhh_ … B-Buck! Fuck me… oh God, open me up please,” he begged. He loved how wrecked he already sounded, his earlier lust heightened by the sensation of Bucky’s plush lips stroking his dick ever so sweetly. “Please, Buck, please!”

Beneath him, Bucky nodded his head just the slightest bit, pulling back with a pop as he reached up and stroked over Steve’s cock with a cool hand. Looking up at him, he winked at the blond, teasing him with that come hither he was always so good at. “Oh you got it baby. But I’m wonderin’ which way you would prefer. With my fingers while I suck your pretty cock?” He paused for effect as he stroked his length, tightening his fist at the tip to rub a little harder. “Or with my mouth while you suck me? Choose wisely.”

Well shit… how could he decide between two amazing ideas like that? It took him a moment, his mushy brain still trying to make heads or tails of the situation, but at last, his smile returned to him. “T-to be totally honest?” Steve stammered out. He took the moment’s distraction, taking a deep breath before he forced himself to look down at Bucky. “That second option sounds like a bang-up fuckin’ idea.”

With that, Steve suddenly swung his leg over his chest and turned himself around to straddle Bucky’s stomach backwards. Instantly, he shimmied backwards, planting his hands into the bed as he hovered over his dick this time and took the moment to admire his length; cut, girthy and just long enough, Bucky’s prick was bursting with need, reddened by his arousal, and bobbing just slightly in front of his lips. Steve sighed in content, reaching out to wrap his fingers around it to stroke in an even cadence. Up and down, he watched his length ghost along his palm, sleeved in his callous-free hand as he leaned in to lap at the tip with dainty touches.

Beneath him, he felt Bucky jolt at his ministrations. He grinned to himself, opening wide to swallow him whole and he bobbed his head instantly as he worked him over readily. “F-fuck!” Bucky gasped. Instantly, his fingers dug into the rounds of Steve’s backside, kneading the flesh carefully as he pried him apart to get to the furl of muscle there. As Steve sucked his boyfriend off, he felt his breath ghost across his hole, before the daintiest dab of his tongue touched the rim. “ _Mmmh_ yeah, like that baby,” Bucky moaned as he worked diligently, lapping and sucking his entrance before pushing in to spread him open.

Steve whimpered, though he didn’t stop what he was doing. Instead, he used Bucky’s touch to urge him further, as he picked up pace with renewed energy. Hollowing his cheeks out, he ran his tongue along the upper side of his dick, tonguing at the little ridge of his cock before he pushed down, taking him to the back of his throat with an easy glide. He could feel Bucky stuttering beneath him, a moan ripped from his throat as he worked him over eagerly, and he found a smile gracing the corner of his lips.

Moments passed. The two worked in tandem, Steve laving at Bucky’s twitching cock while the brunet opened him up with unrivaled skill. It felt like Heaven, the warmth of his mouth prying open his muscles until he was lax and ready, his skin teeming with electricity. Steve could almost see his lust sparking from his own skin, tiny little bolts of want that tickled his body, lighting him up like a star. At long last, with one particular twist of Bucky’s tongue, Steve’s actions stuttered viciously, and he slumped forward to press his forehead to his thigh with a moan. His own legs trembled on either side of Bucky’s chest, and he leaned forward, going lax against his body as Bucky’s tongue pushed deeper still into him. “My God!” he gasped, unable to keep his eyes from rolling to the back of his skull. “ _Nnnngh_ Bucky fuckin’ hell don’t keep teasing me!”

Beneath him, Bucky laughed, finally pulling away. A faint smack glanced off of his left ass cheek, causing Steve to yelp out with delight at the sting that coursed up his spine, and Bucky sat up. Pushing the blond forward, he leaned himself back against the headboard, before grabbing Steve’s hips and dragging him closer. “I’m done, I’m done. Get the fuckin’ lube, I can’t wait anymore!”

Steve reacted instantly. Despite his mind being clouded by the pleasure he felt, he had enough sense about him to grab for the bottle, shoving it into Bucky’s hands. Just as he did, he was manhandled backwards until he was seated on Bucky’s stomach, his back to him. Steve twisted just a little to look at his boyfriend, watching as he poured a generous amount of lube into his palm. “Lean forward a bit, m’gonna slick you up. You feel ready?” Bucky asked. As he did, he ran his clean fingers over Steve’s back, fingering the back of his bra a little before snapping the elastic against his skin.

Steve jolted forward at the sting, whimpering loudly as he did as he was told. Bracing himself on Bucky’s thighs, he allowed his lover to reach forward, his slicked up fingers pressing instantly into his channel. The cold slick caused him to jump again, and he cried out into the room, rocking his hips back against his hand until he was three knuckles deep into him. “ _Auuuh_ , _God_ fuck me… please!”

“Shh, baby,” Bucky cooed. He kept his eyes locked on Steve, watching him carefully as he scissored his fingers, thrusting them up into his body again and again for minutes at a time, until he had him slick and ready for him. Once he was suitably prepped, Bucky pulled his fingers free again and grabbed for Steve’s hips to draw him backwards. “Sit down on me, baby… wanna watch you slide on me, all perfect…”

Steve nodded. By then he was wordless, unable to form a sentence to save himself. God, he felt drunk on Bucky’s touch, unable to help himself as he allowed the other to pull him in, like a moth drawn to a flame. He wanted nothing more than to show Bucky how well he could listen to him, how lovely he could look, and with his lover’s simple plea, Steve was entranced by his words. Pressing his hands into his legs for leverage, Steve leaned back until he felt the prod of his cock pressing against his hole. He lifted himself gently, allowing the other to guide him as he was positioned perfectly, sliding down onto his cock with ease. Steve moaned uninhibited, feeling himself stretching over his dick as he was pulled backwards by strong hands. Inch by inch, he descended on him, the two wrapped up so perfectly it could only be rivaled by a star’s beauty and warmth.

Bucky shuddered beneath him as Steve sat fully on him, ass to hips finally joined at last. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his chest as the two of them fell backwards, slumping into the headboard. Connected so perfectly, one seated in the lap of the other, they took a moment to revel in this warmth. As the seconds ticked by, Steve shifted on Bucky’s lap, drawing out a low growl of want from the other as he carefully bobbed on his lap, the tension of his walls working him over with even the slightest bit of friction. “Fuckin’ hell, baby, I aint gonna ever get used to this,” he panted, pressing kiss after kiss to his shoulders.

Steve could only nod in response. A whimper escaped him, and he hissed when Bucky’s tender kisses turned into nips. He felt the glide of his teeth over his shoulder, tugging at the bra strap for a moment before Bucky bit harder into the meat. It wasn’t enough to break the skin, but the pressure was still there, sending a shudder up his spine at his insistence. Steve reached back, cupping the other’s neck carefully as he leaned into him for support. Sure, he couldn’t speak at that moment, too strung up on his lust, but he could _show_ him how much he loved this.

Using the moment carefully, Steve shifted his legs, shifting from kneeling on the bed to pressing his feet into the mattress for a better angle. With his position adjusted, Steve slowly raised his hips, pulling off of his cock slow and steady until just the tip was left inside him. He then lowered himself just as painfully slow, twisting his hips just a bit as he rocked his way down, soaking up the feel of hot friction inside him.

“Ah Christ!” Bucky moaned almost instantly. His fingers tightened on Steve’s waist, helping guide his actions as Steve picked up pace, rocking onto his cock with more gusto than ever. Bucky’s nips turned a little rough, reddening the skin of Steve’s shoulder, but his fingers were gentle, massaging his hips where he held him so as not to bruise his pale skin. “F-fuck, yer gonna kill me… Jesus Christ, yer so hot, baby!”

Steve nodded, choking out a half-formed response, before he leaned back, his head leaning into Bucky’s shoulder for support. “Gotta… gotta make up for stopping you in the garage,” he panted. His legs began to tremble from the action of fucking himself onto his cock, and his fingers only dug further into the bedding as he held on for dear life, pitched over his lover’s lap.

Bucky didn’t respond to him. Instead, he took the moment, lifting his hands from his hips to wrap around his waist. With laser precision, his fingers instantly found the pert buds of Steve’s nipples through the lacy fabric stretched across his chest, and he went to work, tweaking them with sharp motions. As he did, he alternated soothing his palms over the expanse of his pecs, molding them in his fingers before returning his attention to his nipples. Every few seconds he alternated, until his hands were massaging over Steve’s chest, pulling and tugging on the bra to scrape the lace over his reddened, oversensitive chest with a firm hand. “Yeah, you do gotta make it up t’me… can’t tease me at my job, Stevie… I don’t got the luxury of an office I can just lock us up in, ya know,” he breathed into his ear before biting his earlobe sharply.

Steve cried out, jerking in his arms. The feel of the rough treatment on his nipples, the sudden addition of Bucky’s hips moving with fluid accuracy beneath him as he thrust up into his hole, all of it drove him absolutely wild with want. Any sort of dignity he had left in him, fled in an instant and he found himself bouncing on his lap with renewed energy. His cock, heavy with blood and hard, bobbed between his legs as he rode Bucky’s dick eagerly. “G-god Dammit! _Auunnnn!_ Bucky!” he sobbed into the room, his mind reeling with pleasure as the two of them fucked with the intensity of two lovers starved of their attention for far too long.

But just as he turned his head to yank Bucky into a kiss, he felt his hands shifting again, grabbing his hips. He tore his eyes open long enough to see the intent on Bucky’s features, the wicked thought dancing in his eyes like jewels gleaming in firelight. Before he had the chance to react, Bucky suddenly moved, rolling Steve into the bed. He sprawled out on his stomach, confused as to what the hell just happened, before looking up to see his boyfriend looming over him. Like a warm blanket, Bucky suddenly draped himself over his back, taking a brief moment to thrust back into his waiting ass with one, hard push. Steve yelped, pushing his face into the blankets beneath him as Bucky suddenly took control of the moment. He felt himself jarring on the bed as Bucky claimed him, rocking forward to split him in two with every thrust. The intense heat of their bodies touching, Bucky’s chest pressed firmly into his back as his hips snapped forward with every motion, only made Steve’s head spin; he dug his fingers into the blankets, turning his head to look up at him. The moment was broken only by the feel of Bucky’s blanket snagging on his nose ring, grounding him just a bit as he pulled his face away from the bed to get a good breath of air. “ _F-f-fu-uck!_ ’ he cried out, his voice jarring with each and every one of Bucky’s motions.

“Yeah, ya like that? Like that, baby?” Bucky asked, breathless himself. His fingers snaked forward, wrapping around Steve’s hands where they were pressed into the bed, and the two latched onto each other. “That good like that? Nice and deep… ya like it when I fuck yer pretty little ass, make it all mine all over again?” As he spoke, he dug his knees into the bed, using the extra leverage to slide in again. The tip of his cock pushed squarely into the nerves inside Steve’s channel, ramming into his prostate with each motion. “Just like that… gonna come without me even touching yer cock baby? C’mon, I wanna see that… Wanna see you lose it, baby, fuck I love you so much…”

Steve didn’t know which way was up anymore. Lost in the boiling sea that was Bucky’s love, he could only whine out in response, twisting his head just a bit to try and get his attention. Apparently it was all the other needed, as Bucky instantly leaned forward, capturing Steve in a deep kiss as he nipped and laved at his lips with devotion. Steve reacted instantly, leaning up into the kiss as much as the awkward position could allow him. With a choked off grunt, Steve jarred forward at a particularly hard thrust, the action causing him to tug sharply on Bucky’s lower lip before their teeth clacked together. It was messy. It was primal. It was fucking _perfect_.

Time ceased to mean anything. It was just the two of them, locked in their perfect moment as they remained joined in the most intimate of ways. Pleasure overrode any negativity this world held for them, and love between the two only solidified that reality in Steve’s mind. As he allowed Bucky to take him, make him whole again in ways that only he could manage, Steve felt his orgasm begin creeping up on him, as water swells in the midst of a sea. His legs trembled viciously, his chest heaved for breath. He knew his skin was dark red at this point, flushed with his want, and he broke the kiss, pressing his forehead into the mattress beneath them both. “B-Buck I’m gonna come… fuck baby, harder. _Please_!” he begged, demanding more as he dug his fingernails further into the cool palms wrapped around his hands.

Bucky chuckled, though it was strained at best. He leaned in, kissing a faint trail up and down the back of Steve’s neck to soothe him just the tiniest bit. As he did so, he leaned back, propping himself up on his knees before he shook his hands free from his grip, only to grab at Steve’s hips. With a careful touch, he maneuvered them both, pulling Steve up to his knees before reaching down to press his shoulders into the mattress. With this new position, Bucky soothed his hands up and down his back, massaging any tension away he could, before he spoke again. “As you wish, Stevie.”

Without preamble, Bucky drew back before snapping his hips forward, rough and hard. The echo of skin slapping together filled the room as he picked up a fast and merciless pace, fucking Steve with gusto. As he did so, he uttered a low grunt, his fingertips moving from his back to his hips, holding him in place. As he stroked himself inside his channel, fast and focused on drilling that tender bundle inside him, his fingers tightened until they were almost bruising, holding him close as his motions rocked both of them to the rhythm of their sex.

Steve couldn't hold it in. As his lover took control, claiming him so dominantly, Steve cried out, bordering on a scream of pleasure as he dug his hands into the blanket beneath him. He felt like his whole body was on fire, flames licking up and down his spine and burning him up from the inside as that friction became almost too great for him to bear. But it was the best thing he’d ever felt. This hot, rough, and coarse action stroking him in all the right places, driving him wildly over the edge until he couldn’t see straight, had him clamping down on Bucky’s cock as he bent to him, dominated and loving every second of it. “AH! Ah, ah _ahhhuuhn_! F-fuck! _Bucky!!!_ ” he shouted into the room. That didn’t stop his lover’s actions, only spurring him on further as he teetered dangerous on the precipice of his lust.

Seconds away from release, Steve allowed himself to lose it, split wide open and raw as he spilled his guts to the heavens above. One particular thrust hit squarely on its mark, slamming his prostate with fast, jerking motions and sending him careening into space with that overstimulation. Steve screamed into the room, the sound hoarse as he finally came, tensing up harder than ever around Bucky before he released, his own cock bursting with ropes of sticky come. He could feel his ass fluttering around Bucky’s dick, pulling him in deeper as wave after wave of his orgasm drove him mad, pushing him under until he was drowning in that wet, warm ocean of syrupy thick pleasure, too far gone to save himself. He came so hard, stars flickered in his eyes, driving him deeper into the depths until he nearly blacked out.

As his orgasm slowly ebbed away, Steve slumped boneless into the bed, aware of his surroundings only enough to hear Bucky groan out in his own pleasure. He was barely conscious enough to feel his lover’s cock pulsing within him, pumping him full of his come until he was stuffed full and overflowing. As his legs slowly gave out beneath him, Steve collapsed to the bed, face first into the blankets as Bucky followed suit, blanketing himself over Steve’s back once again. Neither of them moved, too wrung out by their sex to really give a damn about moving. As he lay beneath his body, soaking up his warmth and floating in the darkness of his pleasure, Steve slowly sank to the depths of his delight, floating just beyond consciousness. His mind felt numb and fuzzy around the edges as he succumbed to his own body’s natural high, drifting further and further away from Bucky and into the void from where he would never dare leave. This was perfect… this darkness and warmth and pure bliss. It was _perfect_ here, with no stress and worries to damage his days. He could stay like this forever...

But Bucky had other ideas. As Steve lay beneath him, he peppered a torrent of kisses along the other’s shoulders, brushing his lips across his overheated skin to bring him back from the darkness. It was vague, but as Steve lay beneath him, hovering in that lovely void, Bucky’s voice spoke to him in low, soothing tones to bring him around again. His gentle kisses slowly pulled him back to the surface, light rays of adorations breaking the darkness until he oh so slowly breached the surface, and took his first breath of air as a new man again. “C’mon, baby… come back. I know you’re in there,” Bucky murmured. As he did so, he rubbed his hands over his arms, massaging life back into them before turning Steve’s head just enough to press a kiss to his cheek. “C’mon back, baby… yer alright. Yer here with me. I got you.”

“Nngh…” Steve mumbled in response at last. As his vision cleared, he looked up at Bucky, bleary eyed and smiling the dumbest smile he’d ever worn in his life. “Mmmm… don’wanna move… don’wanna get up…”

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. As he did, he slowly withdrew from Steve’s hole. He carefully moved, rolling Steve to his back, and finally over to his right side, where he lay limp against the messy blankets beneath them. Without a word, Bucky continued to shift, scooting himself down the bed to wrap himself around Steve’s body, and pull him closer into his own body heat to warm him back up. As he held him close to his chest, his fingers moved gently, unclasping the bra at his back before wiggling the cloth from his shoulders one by one, to toss it somewhere onto the floor at their side. “I know ya don’t and you don’t have to. Just take yer time. Lay with me… I’ll keep you safe.”

“M’always safe with you,” Steve slurred. He shook his head, feeling like his brains were swimming around in his skull as he pressed his face into the crease between Bucky’s pecs with a heavy sigh. Even still, talking to Bucky and hearing his comforting voice cut the static from his mind, cleared it away like cobwebs from a mantle until he was coherent enough to really know what the hell he was doing. He was laying with Bucky, after another round of the best sex he’d ever had in his life, and Bucky was comforting him, showering him in affection and warming his clammy skin back up with gentle strokes. Just the way God and Heaven had intended them to be. “M’so fuckin’ in love with you, it hurts. You know that?”

Bucky exhaled sharply. It was an amused sound, and he leaned in to press his lips to his forehead. “And I’m so fuckin’ in love with you. But we can’t lay like this forever. Gotta clean you up, and change the bedding. Whenever yer ready to move, though…”

Steve nodded. His skin felt sticky, the salty pull of dried sweat on his back and the feel of Bucky’s come leaking between his legs making his flesh tingle with delight. But he knew, deep down, that Bucky was right. As much as he wanted to lay like this forever, he knew that the dirty bed cloths would only feel worse against their skin later. They’d have to clean up soon, as much as he was loathe to admit it. “Okay...” he sighed, smiling to himself. “I’ll let you know.”

“Alright,” Bucky murmured. With that, the two fell silent again, cradled in each other’s arms as the room around them gradually began to grow colder. The nip in the air brought on by the A/C unit in Bucky’s apartment made them both shiver as they tucked into each other, desperate for warmth but unwilling to break their hold on each other long enough to tuck under the blankets like sane adults would. “Gotta say, I think we’re gonna have t’get you a full stock of those panties and shit. ‘Cause, damn babe… always looks fuckin’ hot as hell on ya. Can’t ever keep my hands off ya when yer like that,” he mumbled. As he did, he let his hand trace down Steve’ bare side, down to where the thigh-high stocking remained wrapped around his upper leg, still damp with sweat and rolling down from their rough actions.

Steve smirked. He wrapped his own hand around Bucky’s wrist, pulling it away from his thigh, and pressing his palm against his chest. “We’ll buy the whole fuckin’ lot out. How’s that?”

“Sounds perfect,” Bucky murmured. He leaned in, tilting Steve’s head up to press a kiss to his lips once more. As he did so, the moment slowed down, stretched thin in all directions as the two focused only on that kiss, only on each other, until at last Bucky broke contact to meet his gaze again. “How’re you feelin’ now?”

Steve nodded. His head felt much clearer now, his pleasurable high abated at last and leaving him loose and pliant in his arms. “Better… much better,” he murmured. “But m’probably gonna fall asleep soon, which is kinda bad since I gotta be at the park tomorrow by noon. I have to get to the bakery kind of early to get all the stuff packed up, and if I fall asleep here, I might not wake up in time. Besides, I don’t have clean clothes here for that.”

“I’ll wake you up,” Bucky replied. “How long do you have to be at the event tomorrow, anyway?”

“It goes from noon to about 7 o’clock,” Steve mumbled, recounting the schedule in his head. “It’s kind of a win-win. The event coordinators needed one more food stall to replace a vendor that backed out a couple months ago, and I get more exposure for the business. So I can’t really complain.”

Bucky hummed in response, pressing his chin into his forehead. “Do ya need help? I can go with you, help set up n’shit and then help you with the sales.”

“I’d love that,” Steve replied instantly. He looked up at Bucky, offering him a big grin. As he did so, he cupped his fingers over his stubbled cheek, scratching at the little prickles before kissing the tip of his nose. “Otherwise I won’t get to see you until late tomorrow night.”

“And that just ain’t any good,” Bucky finished, shaking his head. “Nah, screw it. I ain’t askin’. I’m comin’ with ya, and that’s final.”

“Oh no say on my part, huh?” Steve replied, shaking his head at him. “Bossy.”

“Nope. No say at all,” Bucky cooed.

Steve laughed, shaking his head in amusement at Bucky’s response. Was he complaining about getting to spend the whole day and night with him? Hell no. In fact, he felt even better about going to this summer event and selling his hard-earned wares to the public. If he got to do the thing he loved with Bucky proudly at his side, then Steve knew it would be a perfect day spent. “You’re a jerk,” he sighed, lovingly.

“And yer a punk,” Bucky whispered. He cupped his hand over the side of his neck, pulling him closer as their lips ghosted over each other. “Now shut up and relax for a few minutes. We still gotta change the blankets and clean up, and then we gotta get some sleep to go conquer the hungry masses tomorrow. Ya hear me?”

“I hear you, loud and clear,” Steve said. He obediently closed his eyes, allowing Bucky to rock him gently in his arms. Sure, they still had to get up and tidy up the room. Sure, he had to think about the ungodly hour he’d have to wake up at to get ready in the morning. But with the promise of Bucky’s support, and the long, pleasant day ahead for both of them, well...

Steve couldn’t say he’d have it any other way.

* * *

 

Picture note!

Here's the art to go with this chapter, drawn by the lovely[ lucidnancyboy](http://lucidnancyboy.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!!!! ENJOY!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh Sharon... why, why why.... why you gotta try to stop their relationship, huh?


	15. Bitter Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve face the daily struggle of living a life together in a less-than-accepting world. Steve introduces his boyfriend to his mother. Bucky decides to pick up an old hobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPRINKLES HAS UPDATED!!!!! 
> 
> This took a lot longer to write than I would have liked, but heyoo, that's what I get for writing my usual stories while prepping for two Big Bang projects at the same time hahaha! I will admit, this chapter is self-beta'd, so hopefully it all makes sense to you guys, and you enjoy it!
> 
> One note, I wanted to point out, Bucky and Steve make references to Dr. Ruth in this chapter, which I definitely feel like I'm dating myself by having that reference in this chapter. If you don't know who Dr. Ruth is, look her up. It's kind of hysterical (though she does have some great advice for couples and their sex lives, if you need any sort of advice like that ;) ) 
> 
> Besides... romantic walks in the rain! Who can beat that?! 
> 
> ANYWAY, I WON'T BORE YOU WITH NOTES, SO ONTO THE READING MY LOVELIES! ENJOY!!!!

The sun beat down on the park around them, blazing hot in the day and heating the concrete up to impossible temperatures. If Steve didn’t know any better, he could have sworn he’d seen the very tongues of hell licking up from the pavement around them and scorching the earth with their fiery caresses. Exhaling loudly, he picked up the bottle of water he had sitting next to him, pressing the cool surface against the back of his neck to relish the feel of cold condensation against his overheated skin. It was a good thing they’d thought to buy a little canopy to suspend over the table he had his coolers set up on. At least he could hide in the shade until this whole, damned event was over.

Tony hadn’t exactly predicted the weather correctly, but Steve was pretty sure he wouldn’t be making much of a profit that day after all. There was no way in hell anyone was going to actually spend money buying cupcakes and cookies that day, not when it was so, Goddamn _hot_ out. Why the hell hadn’t he gone into the business of selling ice cream…?

“Hey,” Bucky’s voice cut in, distracting him from his musing. Steve looked up, pushing his sunglasses up to his crown as he spotted his boyfriend approaching him. In each of his hands, he had two bags of ice dangling from his fingers, holding them up like a proud fisherman presenting his catch. “Gotcha some more ice for the coolers. Hope it ain’t too late to salvage your business today.”

“You are an absolutely lifesaver,” Steve sighed, jumping up from his seat. He stepped out of his little shady refuge, wincing as the sun rays beat down on his bare shoulders. Wearing nothing more than a tank top, shorts and flip flops, and Steve _still_ felt overdressed and sweltering in this weather. How Bucky was walking around in jeans, his boots and his favorite black David Bowie t-shirt without dying, was beyond him. “I think you brought these in the nick of time, actually. The coolers started leaking about ten minutes ago.” Taking a moment to tear the bags open, he dumped them into the coolers one by one, satisfied that his precious wares wouldn’t be damaged in the heat. After he’d taken an extra moment to rearrange everything (and maybe run some cold water over his arms), he looked up at Bucky, and raised an eyebrow.  “I dunno how the hell you’re not roasting in those clothes. Aren’t you hot?”

“Eh,” Bucky said, shrugging his shoulders. As he did so, he fished out his cigarettes from his pocket, popping the filter in between his lips and lighting up with a practiced ease. “I’m used ta this. It gets hotter in the garage, believe it or not, and our uniforms don’ exactly breathe.”

“No shit?” Steve asked, admiring his boyfriend’s tenacity. He could only imagine how uncomfortable that might have been; in all honesty, if Steve had to put up with that kind of heat while wearing an uncomfortable jumpsuit every day, he might have quit two days into the job. But not Bucky; Bucky accepted the discomfort with a sort of grace that Steve could _never_ imagine possessing. “Jesus, that sucks.”

Bucky shrugged again. “Ain’t that big of a deal, you know. Y’get used to it.” Taking a puff of the cigarette, Bucky turned away from the stand to let the waft of smoke blow away into the park. His efforts were in vain, however, as the faint breeze shifted direction, blowing it back towards the stand and the few cupcakes Steve had out on display. “Damn,” Bucky mumbled, glancing back at Steve in apology. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Steve said, waving it off with a smile. “It’s a public park, no one’s gonna say anything.”

“Yeah, but I don’ wanna accidentally taint the food. Smoke flavored cupcakes pro’ly don’ taste too good,” Bucky chuckled. Leaning up, he pressed a kiss to Steve’s lips before stepping back. “Lemme just go finish this and then I’ll be back, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Steve said, raising a brow. “There’s shade under the canopy so you don’t have to stand out in the sun. I really don’t mind if you smoke here.”

“It’s cool, I’ll just go finish this and then toss the butt out. Don’ want you gettin’ in trouble with the city if they decide to get a stick up their ass about it, ya know?”

“Well, I mean…” Steve said, hesitating a little. “I’m sure they really can’t say anything but if you really want to, I won’t stop you.” Glancing back at their abandoned stand, he sighed. “I’ll make sure I beat the crowds back with a stick while you’re gone, since we’re _so_ swamped and all that.”

“I’ll bring th’ stick when I get back,” Bucky laughed. He then turned on his heel, leaving Steve behind as he jogged over to a trash can a few dozen feet away to finish his cigarette. For a moment, Steve didn’t move, watching Bucky as he hovered by the can, puffing away merrily as he greeted other park goers with a smile as they passed him by. Even from here, Steve could see flies hovering around the can and he grimaced, wondering exactly how much it must have stunk in the heat.

He couldn’t help himself; as he watched Bucky standing all by himself, puffing away on a cigarette that probably came from his second pack for the day, Steve realized that Bucky had been acting strangely over the past few days. Usually, the two of them spent all hours awake at night chatting and spending some much desired alone-time together after they both got off of work. Lately though, Bucky had been acting somewhat anxious and falling asleep earlier than usual. He claimed it was from being exhausted and stressed from the ever growing influx of work at the garage, but to be honest, Steve didn’t really buy the story.

His odd behavior wasn’t the only difference Steve had noticed; aside from the anxiety that had overtaken his boyfriend, Bucky had been slipping outside more often to light up a cigarette, and had woken Steve up a couple mornings with a cough he claimed was nothing more than allergies kicking in. Once again, Steve didn’t buy that, knowing all too well what a smoker’s cough sounded like. Steve understood that plenty of people smoked when they were stressed. He just had no idea what could possibly be bothering his lover so much and that alone worried him more than anything. He hated the idea of Bucky being upset about something and not knowing what he could do to make him feel better.

Steve had never smoked a cigarette in his life, especially not after his mom’s health scare a few years ago. Sarah Rogers had been a pack a day for twenty years, before a bout of pneumonia from the cigarette smoke had put her in the hospital for a week. Luckily, she’d bounced back and quit cold turkey after that, but it still didn’t take away all the years she’d poured money into the tobacco industry, or the hours she’d spent, missing out on important events because of her 7 dollar-a-pack habit.

And now, he had Bucky to worry about. Steve hadn’t thought much of it when they first started dating. Bucky’s smoking had usually been reserved to the garage, and the spare cigarette now and again when they were together. But now, he couldn’t _help_ but notice that Bucky’s random habit had begun to grow over the past few days, and he began to wonder if perhaps something really was wrong. In the past, it usually took Bucky a few days to finish a pack of cigarettes; over the past week though, the habit had gotten worse, with Bucky finishing off whole packs every day. Now, Bucky was sinking almost 18 dollars a day into smoking, and it seemed to show no signs of slowing down. If something really _was_ upsetting Bucky, Steve wanted to know, so he could help him.

Sighing to himself, Steve sat down on the fold-out chair, hissing as the hot plastic touched the back of his thighs. He’d just picked up his bottle of water to take a drink and settle in for a long, boring day of staring at his empty stand, when he sensed movement behind him. Before he could look up, he felt someone pull the back of his tank top open and dump a handful of ice cubes down his back with no warning.

He couldn't help himself. The moment he felt that wet, sloppy ice slide down the back of his neck, Steve uttered the most unmanly of shrieks as he leaped out of his chair, swatting at his back to dislodge it from his shirt. Behind him, he heard Bucky roaring with laughter, and he turned to glare at him whilst the mechanic doubled up, holding his sides as he cackled. “Jesus Christ, Buck!” Steve whined, swatting at his now damp shirt. “You are an ass! How the hell did you even get ice, I put it all in the coolers!”

Bucky wheezed, looking up at Steve before wiping at his eyes to clear the tears away. “There was some ice cubes left in the bag you tossed behind the chair. I’m surprised they didn’ melt yet.” Righting himself, he approached his brooding boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his waist to press a kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry, are ya mad at me?”

Steve tried to hold his ground. He really did. With his arms wrapped around Bucky’s back, he offered up his most potent glare, lips pursed together as he tried to break down Bucky’s joke with a stern expression. Within seconds, he failed utterly and he slumped as he was unable to hide the grin that threatened to take him over. At least his damp shirt was enough to keep him somewhat cool now, he had to admit. “No, I’m not mad,” Steve said, before winking. “Just know, I’m gonna get you back somehow. I dunno how. But I will.”

“I’m countin’ on it,” Bucky said, flashing him a smile. Steve grinned back at him, the two of them sitting down in their seats to wait out the day’s events and keep each other company during their long, boring vigil. Despite the fact that he hadn’t made much of a profit at all, Steve couldn’t help but smile now. At least he had Bucky to talk to while he waited for some semblance of business.

An hour passed, and not a single customer approached the two of them. Normally, Steve would be a little more patient with lulls in business, but the heat was starting to really wear his patience thin. Every time someone so much as looked at the stand, he got his hopes up that maybe he’d make some sort of profit that day, only for his hopes to be dashed when they walked on by. By the time the fifth customer ignored them, he really began to wonder if it was a better idea to just pack up and leave. At least if he went back to the bakery, he could manage some orders and get some sort of work done, even if he didn’t sell anything.

A half an hour later, he began to wonder if maybe Bucky was starting to feel his frustration as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brunet shifting a little, his smile falling into an anxious grimace as his hand drifted down from the arm of the chair to his pocket where his cigarettes sat. Steve frowned. _Another_ cigarette already? There definitely had to be something on his boyfriend’s mind if he was already reaching for another smoke so soon.

Without a word, he reached out, taking Bucky’s hand in his, and squeezing his fingers a little to distract him. To his relief, he felt the brunet relax in his grip and twine their fingers together, looking just the slightest bit more comfortable. Feeling satisfied that he’d distracted Bucky from his ever growing need to light up, Steve settled back into his own chair, and ran his thumb over his knuckles in a soothing gesture. At the very least, distracting Bucky gave Steve something to do during this failure of a sale’s day.

“Hey, Stevie,” Bucky said, breaking the silence. Steve looked over to see Bucky peering into the cooler in front of him with an appraising eye. “How much didja sell while I was gone anyway? Don’ look like you made much of a dent in your stuff…”

“Well,” Steve sighed, looking at his cash box forlornly. “Only sold one cupcake, and two packs of chocolate chip cookies, so far and it’s been two hours since we’ve been here. I think today’s gonna be a bust.”

“Nah,” Bucky countered, pressing kisses to his knuckles. “It’s the hottest part of the day. We’re here until what, 5 o’clock? I betcha when the sun starts to go down, people’ll wanna buy more stuff. Don’ give up, alright? You’ll clean house before the day is out. And if you don’t, well, then I got no problem goin’ out and doin’ a little dance to get people to come over and see why the crazy person is dancing in front of the cupcake stand.”

“Oh God, yes, please,” Steve said laughing. “I’d literally give away my cupcakes for free just to see that.”

“Wow, I didn’t think I was that cheap,” Bucky huffed, turning away from him with a roll of his eyes. “Free cupcakes for yer boyfriend embarrassin’ himself in public? I’m hurt.”

Steve grinned, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Bucky’s cheek before wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “Aw babe, you’re not cheap. You’re the fairest in the land, don’t you know that?”

“Th’ fairest fool,” Bucky said, turning and grinning at him before returning the kiss with one of his own. “I put up with way too much shit from ya.”

“Yeah, you do. But that’s because you love me,” Steve said looking triumphant in his declaration.

The two of them were so caught up in each other, they barely heard movement in front of their little confectionary stand. Just as Steve leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s soft lips, the sound of someone clearing their throat startled the two of them, and they sprang apart almost instantly. Looking up, Steve found himself faced with the sight of a woman _staring_ at them like they’d done some heinous crime right before her eyes, before she scoffed and planted her hands on her narrow hips. The woman in question was almost painfully thin, decked out in active wear and wearing her hair pulled back in a tight bun at the top of her head. She had the classic jogger-mom look about her, and her overtly tanned skin was pulled taut over her frame like cured leather. She was still leveling them with a snarl of disgust as Steve finished his assessment of her, her eyes darting between the two of them before she finally spoke. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I think you should keep that _highly_ inappropriate behavior behind closed doors, gentleman. This is a public park, and there are children running around that can see you two like this.”

At Steve’s side, he felt Bucky bristle, sitting up in his seat to offer the woman a sharp look. “Are you kiddin’ me?” he spat, his fingers digging into Steve’s hand. “We ain’t doin’ nothin’ to bother anyone we’re just sittin’ here. If you got a problem with it, then don’ stare at us!”

“You’re _kissing_ out in public,” the woman said, crinkling her nose in disgust. “Kids can see you two, and what kind of message do you think that tells them? If you’re going to act like queers, keep it in private, where it belongs!”

Steve listened to her, his eyes widening in anger. This woman had the _nerve_ to stand in front of his business making fun of them because they shared a _kiss_?! By God, he was livid! As much as Bucky was chomping at the bit to tear her a new one, it was nothing compared to how much Steve wanted to strike down this righteous bitch with his own two-cents.

With that, he squeezed Bucky’s hand tighter, holding him back as he leveled the woman with a glare of his own. “Ma’am, I think the only person causing any sort of disturbance around here is _you_. You came up to us and started mocking us for doing something that wasn’t hurting anyone. _You_ are the one that’s raising a fuss over the fact that I gave my boyfriend a kiss. We didn’t do anything to you, so if you aren’t here to buy a damn cupcake, I think you should leave.”

The woman listened, seemingly unaffected by his rebuttal. Instead, her expensive looking acrylic nails dug into her arms and she sniffed, looking down her nose at Steve to offer up a counter argument. “You own Star Spangled Pastries, right?” she said. When Steve nodded in response, she offered up a short laugh. “I’m only offering you some advice, here. I own a business too you know.”

“Oh really? Selling tanning products, I assume? Or is it one of those trendy, pyramid scheme deals. Do tell, I’m _so_ eager to learn from a master entrepreneur,” Steve growled with utmost sarcasm. At his side, he heard Bucky snort, and he fought back the urge to smirk.

The woman didn’t answer him. Instead, she waved her hand, looking down at the untouched wares before her with a haughty glare. “Seems like you didn’t make much of a dent in your products today. I can only assume it's the atmosphere you’ve got hanging around the stand, sir. Not only is kissing another man in public off-putting, but having someone who looks like they crawled out of a Hot Topic article and stinking like a dirty garage hanging around is definitely no way to run a respectable business. I’ve had ten strong years under my belt running a business. I would take my advice, and send your “boyfriend” home if you want to make any sort of profit today.”

The air was charged with fury, stinging just as strongly as the heat around them. At his side, he felt Bucky rock to his feet again, glaring the woman down like an angry pitbull yanking at its chain. But Steve wouldn’t allow Bucky to fight this fight for him. No, this bitch was going down, and _Steve_ was going to be the one to do it.

“Excuse me?” Steve snarled, rising to his feet. He put his hand on Bucky’s chest, holding him back for a moment, before he rounded the table to stand in front of the woman. His own height dwarfed the woman, shadowing her from the sun as he met her gaze head-on. “Are you honestly standing there telling me how to run _my business_ , making fun of _my boyfriend_ , and disrupting _my sales_ by standing there and spouting your nasty comments like you own the place? You don’t own this business, you certainly don’t get to tell me who I can have here with me, and you for _damn_ sure have no right to mock my boyfriend to my face. I don’t give two flying craps about what you think, lady, and I swear to God, if you stand there a moment longer and tell me to my face that you think we’re beneath you because we’re two men in a relationship, then I will call the cops and have you escorted away from my stand. I have a permit to sell my product here, and you are currently standing on my property, making the two of us very uncomfortable.”

The woman stared up at Steve, blanching as her tanned face went pale. “You can’t call the cops on me-” she tried to say, before Steve cut her off.

“Oh yes I can. Like you said, lady, this is a public park, so any harassment you offer while I’m trying to conduct business on my rented time, I can call the police and report it. I’m sure you don’t want that. After all, having a report on your record won’t look good for your impeccable business, now would it?” Steve took a breath, lifting his hand away from his side and pointing straight out, away from her and his stand. “Now go away and go bother someone else.”

The woman listened, her eyes as wide as saucers in her head. She shot Bucky a quick look, her lips working silently to muster up a response. After a moment, her expression hardened again, and she rose up to her full height to offer up one last statement. “Fine. But just so you know, your business won’t be running for much longer. I have people in high places that can take you down, sir. I’ll ensure that everyone I know leaves the worst reviews on your site. Your measly bakery won’t last the summer!”

“Go ahead,” Steve said, fury bubbling beneath the surface. “I doubt a few poor Yelp reviews will drive my business into the ground. You won’t scare me into apologizing to you, or to take back what I said. Now _go away,_ and leave us alone!”

With that, the woman turned on her heel, marching away from Steve as she spouted off profanities about the two of them. Steve watched her go, his shoulders slumping in annoyance before he noticed several people watching him with awe on their features, and he fought back a groan. _Of course_ , their little tiff had attracted all kinds of attention neither he nor Bucky wanted. Of course this had turned out to be a bigger deal than it needed to be. That was _just_ what his neglected sale needed, wasn’t it?

From under the canopy, Bucky suddenly spoke up, drawing Steve’s attention on him. “Steve,” he muttered, shifting in his spot as he stared at the ground in front of him. “Steve, maybe she’s right. Maybe I should go-”

“No,” Steve said shortly. Hurrying back to his boyfriend’s side, he took his seat next to the uncertain brunet before squeezing his hand a little tighter than before. “You have just as much of a right to be here as anyone. Don’t let what some lady in yoga pants tell you that you aren’t allowed to be just because she’s got a stick up her ass about two guys kissing. I want you here, and as long as you say you want the same thing, then that’s all that matters.”

Bucky didn’t look up at him. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on the ground, and the torn look on his features made Steve’s heart ache for him. “Hey, look at me,” Steve said urging him. After a beat, Bucky finally raised his eyes to meet Steve’s, and the blond gave him a firm, loving look. “What’s that thing we both agreed on when we first met? That no one has a right to tell us what we should have to look like to be happy with ourselves? Don’t tell me you were lying about that just to make me feel better.”

Bucky offered up a small laugh and shook his head. “Not a damn chance. I’m sorry… guess I kinda let that bitch get to me, is all.”

Steve smirked. “She probably got whole milk in her latte this morning, instead of soy like she asked for. God knows, that’d turn me into a raging bastard to every person I met if that was the case.”

Bucky laughed, relaxing marginally in Steve’s grip, which he counted as a huge victory. However, those good feelings were short lived as movement in front of the stand caught their attention once more. Irritated, Steve looked away from Bucky, ready to lay into anyone else who might dare agree with Little Miss Yoga-Pants and harass them further on this wonderfully awful afternoon.

Only, that’s not what he got.

Instead, Steve found himself surprised to see a teenage girl with purple dyed hair watching them, holding a twenty dollar bill in her fingers. Behind her, several other people whom Steve had seen around the whole argument had also congregated, offering up supportive looks to the two of them as they began to fish out wallets and coin purses right before their eyes.

The purple-haired teen spoke up, sounding shy as she looked down at her money. “I uhm… I really appreciate you standing up to her, considering I’d do the same if she said something about my girlfriend. If it helps at all, I got it all on video on my phone. I can post it somewhere just in case she really does have all her friends try to give your business a bad review, so everyone knows what really happened. I’m… I’m really sorry she did that to you, she didn’t have a right to make fun of either of you for being who you are.”

Steve listened to the girl, feeling his heart swelling in his chest with pride. Looking back at Bucky, he saw the gobsmacked expression on the brunet, and he barked a relieved laugh that things might just be okay after all. Steve rose to his feet, glancing back at all of the customers with a soft smile on his lips before addressing the teen. “I don’t think you need to do that, I doubt she’ll actually do anything. That looked like a lot of chest puffing to me. But… thank you. I really appreciate your concern though.”

The teen nodded, before looking at Bucky. Bucky hadn’t moved from his spot and she flashed him a thumbs up. “I really like your tattoos… and your piercings. David Bowie is my favorite singer.”

“Thanks,” Bucky said, looking a little dazed as the teen offered him her compliments. He rose to his feet to stand next to Steve, and wrapped his arm around his waist from behind. “Thank you. We really do appreciate it.”

The teen grinned, stuffing her twenty dollar bill into Steve’s hand before asking for a mint cupcake. Just like that, the atmosphere lightened considerably as one by one, Steve and Bucky serviced the customers that had begun lining up by the minute. Apparently the sight of a line in front of the cupcake stand had caught the interest of many other park goers at long last as they lined up patiently to buy their treats. Within half an hour, the customers had made a sizeable dent in Steve’s baked goods. When the line had finally dispersed somewhat, it took Bucky and Steve a few minutes to restock the table with anything that didn’t need refrigeration before they could finally sit down again and take a mini break from the rush.

Now left alone once more, Steve and Bucky sat in silence, holding each other’s hands and fiddling with their fingers as they watched the park goers give much more interested looks at the stand than they had before. As they sat together, Bucky cleared his throat, grabbing Steve’s attention before he spoke once more. “Look, about earlier… You didn’t have to stand up to her ya know just ‘cause she made fun of me. I get made fun of all the time for the way I look,” he said, looking at Steve. “But you standin’ up for me… what if she really does go after your business ‘cause of that? What’re you gonna do?”

“If she does, then she’s a raging harpy,” Steve said, fuming still. He turned in his seat, giving Bucky a pointed look. “Okay? It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault and it’s not our fault for kissing in public. So whatever she said is total bullshit. She can’t have her friends give me a bad review on my business just because she had a problem with us being ourselves.”

“Yeah, but she can make some shit up,” Bucky said, looking at him. “Seriously, Stevie. Ain’t you worried about that at all? What if it really does affect your business?”

Steve thought about it. For a moment, he took the chance to mull over that thought, and he had to agree, it really was a possibility. Then again, the only other option was appealing to her simply out of fear of her damaging his business, and that meant betraying his relationship with Bucky. Like hell would he do something like that for something as stupid as some online reviews…

“I don’t care,” he said finally. Scooting to the edge of his seat, he pulled Bucky closer to him, pressing his forehead to his with a soft smile. “If making sure my business was still floating jeopardized our freedom to be able to express our relationship in public, then I’d rather let it sink. You’re more important than that to me, babe.”

Bucky listened to him, his eyes widening as Steve made his declaration. For a moment, he seemed completely unconvinced, his expression unreadable as he really processed what Steve had just admitted to him. Just when Steve thought Bucky was going to argue with him, however, Bucky suddenly leaned back in his seat, breaking into a relieved smile as if he’d won some sort of internal war with himself. “Fuck… yer somethin’ incredible, ya know that?” he asked, offering up a breathless laugh.

“I mean it, Buck,” Steve said earnestly. Taking his hands in his own, he peppered kisses across his knuckles, baptizing them in his affections like there was no tomorrow. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me. If I lose my business over some woman who has a problem with us being together, then I’ll gladly sacrifice my bakery for that. I love you, Buck, and there is no force on this planet that will make me change my mind, ever.”

“God, yer a sap,” Bucky laughed, though he leaned in to bump his forehead against Steve’s in an affectionate gesture. “I love you too, punk. More than you realize.”

Steve beamed at him. He felt giddy as the light-hearted moment and declaration of love between them made his heart skip a few beats. Now he didn’t even care if he didn’t sell all of his product that day. None of it mattered as much as spending time with his best guy. “Hey, one good thing that came out of that woman bothering us was we got to sell some stuff!” Steve added, gesturing to the coolers.

“Damn right!” Bucky said with a grin. He pulled out his cell phone, turning the camera on before winking at Steve. “C’mon, let’s celebrate that unintentional victory with a selfie. Maybe you can put this picture on your business’ Facebook page, whenever you get that up and runnin’.”

“Good idea,” Steve said. He leaned in, pressing his temple to Bucky’s as they cuddled together for their picture. He felt a delighted surge in his heart as he wrapped his arm around Bucky’s shoulder and smiled before turning and pressing a kiss to Bucky’s cheek. Yeah, he was definitely going to post this picture on the bakery’s Facebook page, no matter how it turned out. He wanted to make sure to show the world exactly how much he loved this pierced, tattooed goofball in his arms.

Bucky giggled and quickly snapped the picture of the two of them. Bucky smiled, leaning back in his seat to admire the image for a moment, before turning the phone on Steve. “Like it? I think we look kinda cute here.”

Steve took the phone from him, glancing down at the picture with wide eyes. Shit… the picture had turned out _way_ better than he’d thought it would. Holding the phone reverently, he looked up at Bucky, and offered him a soft look. “Can I send this to my phone? I wanna make it my wallpaper.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Bucky said, leaning into the arm of his chair. “But if you find a sexy text message conversation between Clint ‘n me, don’t question it.”

“Thanks for warning me,” Steve said, snorting. “Lemme guess, you bottom for Clint, right?”

“Oh yeah. He likes it when I call ‘im daddy.”

Steve barked a laugh, his thumb gliding over the screen as he sent the picture to himself. A moment later, his own phone buzzed with a text message before picking it up. Within moments, he had the picture set up as his phone’s wallpaper, and he took a moment to admire it happily. Then, he paused.

He’d been looking for an excuse to introduce the two of them… this would be the _perfect_ picture to send!

With that thought, Steve opened his messaging app and typed out a quick text before attaching the image. With hope bubbling up in his chest he hit send, watching as the phone’s screen spun, before flashing “delivered” a moment later. Now… now it was time to wait...

**SR [1:32pm]: Hey Ma. Sooooo… meet my boyfriend? (Photo attached)**

**MOM [1:35pm]: Steven Grant Rogers, did you find a boyfriend and not bring him around to meet me yet?! I raised you better than that!**

**SR [1: 38pm]: LOL I’m sorry, Ma. Things got really hectic lately. Had some stuff to take care of with him and just never got around to it.**

**SR [1:40pm]: Are you gonna make me scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush? :P**

**MOM [1:41pm]: You’re blessed right, I am. I heard you broke up with the she-devil almost two months ago, and you haven’t once made mention of this young man. Who is he? What’s his name?**

**MOM [1:42pm]: By the way. Brunet. What did I tell you??! :D**

**MOM [1:43pm]: and he’s MUCH more handsome than I thought you would find. Good catch! Too bad you two can’t make babies, they’d be so pretty...**

**SR [1:45pm]: MOM!!! DX**

**SR [1:46pm]: His name is Bucky. Well, his name is James, but he goes by Bucky. He’s a mechanic at the garage across the street from my bakery. I met him when he came in on his lunch one day, and we just clicked.**

**SR [1:47pm]: He makes me so happy, Ma… he really does**

**MOM [1:48pm]: I’m so happy to hear that, Steve. I really am. When am I going to get to meet this cutie?**

**SR [1:50pm]: What about tomorrow? We both always have Sundays off.**

**MOM [1:51pm]: Perfect! I’ve got the fixings for some colcannon and smoked salmon, maybe even some fried vegetables. I’ll have to run to the store to pick up some Inishowen though. We’ll make a Sunday feast out of it! Do you think you could bring the dessert?**

**SR [1:52pm]: Yeah I can bring some cake. I think we have a mint cake left in the bakery fridge. If I don’t, I’ll just bring vanilla cake. that should pair well with the meal.**

**MOM [1:54pm]: Perfect. I can’t wait to meet Bucky tomorrow. Ily, Stevie have a good day! <3**

**SR [1:55pm] Love you too, ma :)**

“Who the hell’re you textin?” Bucky said, cutting into Steve’s thoughts. Steve looked up to see Bucky giving him a crooked smile, and he flushed. “That seemed pretty intense. What was that all about?”

Steve smirked. Looking down at his phone and the sheer, positive reaction his mom had given him for the picture, he felt a flutter of excitement in his chest. His mom already liked Bucky! This was going to turn out better than he’d expected!

“Hey Buck…” Steve said, grinning brightly at him. “How do you feel about meeting my mom tomorrow?”

* * *

 

For the umpteenth time that hour, Buck found himself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the tie he had looped around his neck. The knot was shoddy at best and he grimaced, fussing with it a moment longer before growling under his breath and undoing it to attempt to do it over. His hair was pulled low at the back of his neck, and he’d put in his best piercings, though he’d briefly wondered if he should take them out entirely for their dinner. He didn’t know how _the_ Sarah Rogers would react to seeing her son’s boyfriend with a face full of metal, and his fingers trembled a little as he laid the silk out around his neck to attempt to tie it once more.

He thought he looked rather presentable. He really did. But even in the air conditioning of his apartment, he felt overheated, the weight of his sport coat making him begin to sweat under the collar. He’d opted for his best jeans and boots, but decided to go with a dressier shirt and coat for the occasion because honestly, a guy only had _one chance_ to make a good first impression on his boyfriend’s mother.

And here he was, cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he fucked up his tie _once more_ and they only had twenty minutes before they had to leave for Sarah’s house now, and why the fuck did he think wearing a tie was a good idea…?!

As he played with the tie while cursing under his breath, he heard movement behind him only to see Steve come up behind him in the mirror’s reflection. He relaxed the slightest bit when he felt Steve wrap his arms around his waist from behind and press a kiss to his cheek, but it didn’t stop the ache of anxiety in his chest as he stared, forlornly at the tie wrapped around his neck in a messy knot. “I can’ tie a damn tie…” Bucky admitted, ashamed of himself.

Steve snorted, looking down at Bucky. He raised a brow at him for a moment before glancing at their reflections. “Then don’t wear it. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I dunno, Stevie, I’m meetin’ yer mom for the first time, and here I am, lookin’ like I rolled out of bed after a hard night out. My tie’s a mess, and I really shoulda gone and gotten my haircut,” he moaned, leaning back into his chest. “What if I fuck this up? What if she hates me?”

Steve listened to him rant, his expression neutral. After a moment, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around the tie to pull it off with a gentle grace, followed quickly by Bucky’s thick sport coat. “Buck. Relax, okay? My mom’s probably gonna be in her favorite Notre Dame sweatshirt for dinner. Which, I think it’s still hilarious that she always thought I’d go to college for football. Imagine her surprise when I said I wanted to pursue an art degree…” he added, looking wistful at the memory.

Bucky listened to him, his eyebrows raising as he watched Steve continue to work. One by one, his arms were plucked from the coat, and then Steve rolled up the sleeves of Bucky’s button-up shirt up to his elbows, showing off the tattoo on his left arm. “Besides,” Steve said, looking down at him. “You wanna make a good first impression on my mom? Be yourself. She’ll appreciate that a lot more than you trying to showboat because you think it’s what she wants. Trust me. My mom’s really cool about that sort of thing.”

With a sigh, Bucky’s shoulders slumped. He looked back at himself in the mirror, the way the two of them cut a dashing figure in their reflections, and he stifled a whine. “Yeah, but what if she thinks I ain’t good enough for ya, Stevie? I mean, at least before, ya had Sharon. That’s someone to take home to yer mother; someone with a degree, a real job-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. As he ranted, he felt Steve wrap his fingers around his shoulders and spin him around. He crashed into Steve’s chest, and before he could even gasp out in surprise, he felt himself pressed into a deep kiss. Almost instantly he relaxed in his arms, allowing the blond to take control and shut him the hell up with that delectable kiss of his. He was so taken by the gesture, luxuriating in the feel of Steve’s lips tugging perfectly at his own, he didn’t notice until he was pressed back against the counter, the ledge digging into his hip almost painfully. Then, he finally tore his eyes open to look up at Steve in surprise.

Steve didn’t speak for a moment. Instead, he stared at Bucky over the rims of his glasses, cocking a brow at him as if what he had been saying was absolute madness. “You serious, now?” he said, sounding unamused. “You’re gonna go and start comparing yourself to someone I was _miserable_ with? Do I seem that miserable being with you?”

Bucky opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by Steve pressing his finger to his lips. “Shush. None of that. My mom is going to love you, trust me. Now stop being a priss, go get your wallet and let’s go. Whether you like it or not, you’re gonna win her heart over tonight, I promise you that.”

With that, Steve turned and left the bathroom, leaving Bucky standing by the counter in awe. It took him a few seconds to kick start his brain into gear, before he shuffled from the bathroom and snagged his phone, cigarettes and wallet from the counter. He quickly followed Steve out to the car, the two of them piling in, before he found himself with a lap full of the cake Steve had picked up from his bakery that afternoon.

“It’s just a vanilla cake,” Steve said, smirking at him out of the corner of his eye. “I didn’t have anything else to pair with the meal, so I decided to keep it simple.”

“Ah,” Bucky said, picking at the edge of the container quietly. He didn’t elaborate further on his thoughts, mostly because he had no idea how the fuck to even begin pairing a cake with any sort of meal. In fact, he didn’t know how to do _any_ of that fancy shit Steve obviously knew all about. God, he hoped Sarah didn’t ask him any sophisticated questions to test his intelligence. Was that such a thing, testing one’s intelligence to see if they are a good match for your kid?

He sure as fuck hoped not.

Bucky was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the streets passing them by in rapid succession. It was only when he heard Steve say that they had arrived, that Bucky looked up to find they had arrived in a small, but quaint little neighborhood, far different from what he was used to. All around them, Bucky saw beautiful old brownstones, dozens upon dozens of tall, lush trees, well-kept hedges and bushes, wrought iron fences... even the people walking their dogs or watering their gardens seemed a hell of a lot nicer than Bucky was used to. Compared to his neck of the woods, this place was practically a fairytale realm!

“Where are we?” Bucky asked, glancing at Steve.

“Carroll Gardens,” Steve said. “Mom moved here a few years ago. Originally, she was gonna move to California for work, but ended up getting to work remotely from home, while still getting a really nice pay raise. Mom always wanted to live in this neighborhood when I was growing up, but we never could afford it.” Steve smiled, as if ruminating over the memory with fondness. “Besides, she didn’t want to move too far away from me just in case I needed her. I called her overprotective for it, but I have to admit, it’s nice being close enough that we can visit each other whenever.”

“Overprotective. Gee I was wonderin’ where you got it from,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. He snorted when he felt Steve reach out and sock him in the shoulder, and his earlier tension melted away marginally. “Hey, watch it, I got a cake here!”

“Hmm, but what fun that’ll be if you get icing all over your lap and I have to clean it off… again,” Steve said, giving him a salacious grin as he took the cake from Bucky and climbed from the car.

Bucky flushed red, fighting back a grin at the memory of their first official date together and the fun they’d had with three tubs of buttercream. He still remembered how sticky his skin had been after the fact, and how wonderful Steve’s tongue had felt on his skin as he cleaned it off.

 _Shit!_ Why was he thinking about Steve’s tongue when he was about to go meet his mother! What the ever living hell, was wrong with him?

Stifling back a groan, Bucky felt his anxiety spike once more. He looked up to see Steve giving him an expectant smile as he stood outside the door of the car, and Bucky held his breath, willing himself strength during this venture. With his jaw set, Bucky climbed out of the car, instantly curling into Steve’s side as the blond wrapped his arm around his waist lovingly and guided him for the stone steps just a few feet away. As they walked, Bucky allowed himself a chance to sneak a peek at the neighborhood around him, and he swallowed thickly.

This looked like the kind of neighborhood Sharon would boast about living in… the kind of place Bucky could never dream of being able to afford in his lifetime. The hedges and bushes were well trimmed, the trees a lovely green canopy overhead. All the buildings were meticulously well kept, and the streets were lined with cars and trucks that made Bucky envious. If Sarah lived in such a nice neighborhood, then that meant she was well off and in his experience, well off meant that someone like himself stuck out like a sore thumb. He adored Steve’s acceptance of himself and his quirks, his habits and his looks, but that didn’t mean Sarah Rogers would feel the same way once she got a good look at her son’s less-than-academic boyfriend.

All of a sudden, the two men found themselves before a Kelly green door, and the brunet found himself startling as Steve rapped his knuckles on the door to alert his mother that they had arrived. As he came to the jarring realization that there was no turning back, Bucky’s stomach lurched in panic, knowing he was definitely way out of his element. Damn Sharon Carter to hell for getting in his head like this!

Just as he began to work up the courage to fake sick so they could get the fuck out of there, he heard footsteps approaching before the bright green door was flung wide open. Bucky instantly straightened up, slapping on a huge smile for the woman he would meet, expecting to find her in a smart suit, heels, the works. He expected to find a striking looking woman, someone gorgeous and perfect and perfectly befitting the role of child-bearer to his perfect, godly boyfriend beside him-

Wait… well... No, Steve had been right. That was _definitely_ a Notre Dame sweatshirt.

In an instant, Bucky felt his shoulders sag and the breath he was holding escape him in a puff. This… this woman definitely didn’t look like who he was expecting at _all_. Instead of a stunning looking businesswoman or some equally daunting mother figure, Bucky found himself standing in front of a short, very thin woman wearing a thick, green and heather grey sweatshirt with the Leprechaun mascot emblazoned on the front. The sweatshirt was absolutely huge on her, dangling down almost to her knees over a pair of black capris leggings. Her feet were decked out in thick, fluffy green socks, her blond hair was pulled back in a messy top knot, and she had bright neon nail polish on her fingernails in a rainbow variety. To his surprise, she was wearing little to no makeup at all, and her ears were filled with rows of eclectic looking piercings, lined from her earlobes, all the way up her cartilage. She was, in fact, so different looking than Steve’s usually well-kept appearance, she looked more like she belonged to Bucky as a mother, than Steve!

As Bucky found himself struck dumb in his realization, Sarah squealed at the sight of the two men before her, clapping her hands loudly as she practically danced on the balls of her feet. A moment later, Bucky found himself suddenly holding the cake again, as Steve and Sarah embraced, the tiny woman pulling her son down into her arms in a bear hug as the two of them laughed and giggled in their reunion. “Ah, I’m so glad you made it, the both of you! And right on time, too, the food’s just about done now!” Sarah exclaimed. As she spoke, Bucky found himself surprised yet again. Instead of the usual Brooklyn accent he was so used to hearing, Sarah spoke with a faint Irish brogue, her tone lilting happily through the air around them like the cheerful little leprechaun she totally reminded him of. Well shit… he had no idea Steve was _Irish_ , what the hell kind of boyfriend was he, even?

“Great!” Steve said, grinning down at his mother before shooting Bucky an “I told you so” look, as smug as could be. Bucky found himself flushing red as he realized how wrong he’d been to worry about meeting Sarah at all and he offered Steve a sheepish smile in return, hoping he would forgive him for being so shallow. “U-uhm, Ma...” Steve added, straightening up. “So… this is Bucky. Bucky, this is my mom, Sarah.”

Sarah turned, looking up at Bucky. Her blue eyes twinkled brightly as she took in the sight of him, her fingers folded together as she beamed at the young man at Steve’s side. “Ooooh, look at you!” she cooed. Reaching out, she plucked the cake from Bucky’s hands and shoved it into Steve’s grip, before grabbing the stunned brunet’s wrists. Without a word, she tugged him into the house, holding his arms out to the side as she examined him with that vivacious smile never dropping from her lips. “Such a strong, handsome young man you are! A perfect match for my boy, Stevie. You picked good, son. Very, very good!”

With that, she reached out and cupped Bucky’s face in her palms. Pulling him down, she pressed a quick kiss to each of his cheeks before tugging him into a tight hug as well. Bucky went easily, engulfing her in his arms as she wrapped her own around his ribs and hugged as tightly as she could manage.

Bucky, still in a daze, stared up at Steve who only watched the two of them with fondness in his matching blue eyes. “Th-thank ya, Mrs. Rogers,” Bucky said, finally finding his voice again. He pulled back as the woman stepped out of his arms to regard him with adoration on her features. “It’s a real pleasure t’meetcha. Stevie said a lotta good things about ya, so I’m glad I get to meet the real deal.”

“Nonsense, the pleasure is all mine,” Sarah said, pinching his cheek fondly. “But enough of this! Let’s go and sit down, the colcannon’s coming out of the oven right now. I hope you like smoked salmon, Bucky, because there’s plenty of it! Stevie says here you’re a mechanic. That must be difficult work. So you’d best believe I’ll be making sure you’re well fed!”

With that, Sarah turned and flounced down the hallway, headed for the kitchen and the meal she’d prepared for the three of them as she continued to chatter away about everything and nothing at all. Still in a daze, Bucky turned and gave Steve a look of sheer awe, which was only met by the smug grin of his boyfriend.

“So…” Steve said, walking past Bucky and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t wear that stupid sport coat?”

* * *

 

The pitter-patter of raindrops striking the hood of the car above droned on in a comforting white noise as the car made its final turn onto the block Bucky’s apartment resided on. Steve couldn’t even find it in himself to be annoyed at the rain around them as he plucked at his still damp collar to stave off the humidity that had gathered in the car between them. With bellies full of food and minds just the slightest bit fuzzy from the whiskey they’d drunk during dinner (Bucky had been quite surprised to find that the Sarah Rogers enjoyed her whiskey neat, thank you very much), the atmosphere in the car felt quite comfortable. Steve sighed to himself, leaning back in his seat to stare at the steering wheel with a huge smile on his lips.

Steve still couldn’t believe how much of a success the whole night had been for the both of them. Once Bucky had gotten over the initial shock of meeting his mother, the night had gone from good to downright terrific as the three of them bustled about, setting up the backyard table for a delightful meal out in the waning sunlight of the day. With the hum of cicadas and crickets all around them, the three had settled in for a wonderful meal together, chatting happily as they feasted together while they enjoyed the warm summer evening together. Steve couldn’t help the swell of pride in his chest as he watched Bucky devour his mother’s home cooking, praising the woman for the delicious meal she’d served them. Sarah seemed tickled pink with his praise, and had busied herself readily with dishing up more potatoes and salmon, asking Bucky every few minutes if he was doing well, and letting her coveted bottle of whiskey flow openly for the three of them.

About halfway through dinner, the clouds had started rolling in and three bites into dessert, the skies had opened up in a torrent of rain that hadn’t been predicted when they planned this outdoor meal. The three of them made quite the scene as they squawked in humorous dismay at their cake being washed away in the rain, and had rushed about as quickly as possible to hurry all the dishes into the house before they got drenched. Their efforts were somewhat in vain, but as they stood in the kitchen with platters of food, one very soggy vanilla cake and the three of them looking quite a bit like drowned rats, they all burst into fits of laughter that had them all doubled up at the whole ridiculous situation they found themselves in.

Once they’d gotten their giggles under control, they all worked in tandem to clean up the mess and salvage whatever food they could before Sarah bustled off to fetch towels for the boys and urged them to dry off and relax as she made them a pot of tea. Of course, Bucky won major points with Sarah as he insisted on helping her tidy up the kitchen despite his hair dripping with rain water onto the tiled floor. Steve couldn’t help the swell of delight in his chest as he watched his mother shoot him a proud look before ordering Bucky to kick his feet back and let her tend to them. _‘This is a night of relaxation, Bucky. You’re my guest, so allow me to do as a mother intended and take care of you!’_ Sarah had said before shooing them out of the kitchen at last.

Once the three were dry and comfortable, sipping hot cups of herbal tea to stave off the chill from the rain, they had spent the remainder of the evening in the living room talking about work and personal life, with Sarah perched in her favorite chair while the two men curled up on the couch together. As comfortable as if he’d lived there his whole life, Bucky had readily tucked himself into Steve’s arms, his head resting on his shoulder to allow Steve the luxury of pressing kisses to his damp crown as often as he liked. For the first time in days, Bucky seemed totally at ease, and Steve couldn’t help but feel delighted as he nuzzled his boyfriend lovingly, the two under the careful watch of Sarah as she cooed over how happy they looked together.

The rain hadn’t let up by the time Bucky and Steve left Sarah’s house for the evening. With the downpour still raging outside, Sarah had sent the two of them off with kisses on their cheeks, and an extra-long hug for Bucky as she urged them both to visit her again soon. All in all, Steve had chalked it up as a successful evening, and he couldn’t stop the smile on his lips as they darted through the rain to the car and headed for home at long last.

Steve was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t notice movement to his right. When he felt a hand land on his shoulder to give it a squeeze, he finally tore his gaze from the windshield to see Bucky offering him a bright smile. Bucky’s hair was wetter than Steve’s, the long locks sticking to his temples in damp ropes and his button up shirt sticking to his shoulders to show off the lines of his undershirt along his shoulders. Bucky had braved the rains a little longer than both Sarah and Steve, scooping up as many of the platters and plates as he could to rush them inside, and his shirt had paid dearly for the sacrifice. It was really a very adorable look on his boyfriend.

“We gonna try and wait for the rain to let up a bit, or are we gonna make a break for it?” Bucky said, grinning at him.

Steve thought about it for a moment. They _could_ sit in the car and wait for the rain to let up, but it hadn’t slowed down once since the initial downpour started a few hours prior. If they waited, they could be sitting there for a while, steaming up the car for all the wrong reasons and stuck in damp clothes. As much as he liked sweating in the same vicinity as his boyfriend, he would rather do that in bed, not in his car. “Nah. No point, otherwise we’re going to be sitting here for a while, I think,” Steve reasoned.

“So we get to have a nice, romantic walk in the rain after all,” Bucky mused, glancing out the window. “Always wanted to do that…”

Steve listened to him, and his eyes lit up. They really only had about 50 feet from where he’d found a parking spot on the road, but if they walked the whole way, they’d both be drenched by the time they got to Bucky’s apartment. But if that’s what Bucky wanted, he’d gladly oblige that. What was a little more rainwater on their hair, anyway?

With a smirk of his own, Steve reached into the backseat of his car and grabbed a plastic bag that was sitting on the floor, and held it out for Bucky to deposit his cell phone in. “Put your phone and wallet in here so they don’t get wet. I think a romantic walk in the rain sounds like a great idea.”

Bucky watched him, his eyes rounding in awe before he quickly dumped his phone, wallet and cigarettes into the bag with a happy sound. Steve laughed, before following suit with his own phone and wallet. When he had the bag tied off and clutched in his fist, he leaned over and quickly pecked Bucky on the cheek before the two of them stepped out of the car into the rain.

Almost instantly, Steve’s shirt and hair were soaked and he laughed loudly as he jogged over to grab Bucky’s elbow in his own. Giving it a gentle tug, Steve fought the urge to run to the porch of the apartment building and leaned into Bucky’s side as the two of them picked up a sedate pace, strolling happily through the rain to their destination. All around them, the sound of cars cutting through puddles, and people jogging under umbrellas echoed in the backdrop of the moment, but none of it mattered to them. It was just Bucky and Steve, walking arm in arm as they cast each other happy looks, and relishing the feeling of cool rain on their skin and clothes.

“So what do you think?” Steve asked, looking down at Bucky through the speckles of rain dotting the lenses of his glasses. “Everything you thought it would be?”

“Hell yeah,” Bucky said, beaming at him. He let go of Steve’s arm to thread his own around the small of his back, pulling him flush so that their saturated shirts pressed into each other more firmly.

Steve grinned, giggling as the feeling of rain running down his skin tickled him. He ducked his head down, pressing his temple to Bucky’s before turning and leaving a kiss on the bridge of his nose. Neither of them spoke as they finished their trek down the block, until they came to a stop at the bottom of the steps that would lead them inside. Steve looked up from Bucky’s eyes to stare at the steps for a moment and he offered up a short, bemused huff through his nose. “Well, we’re here. Wanna go in?”

Bucky thought about it, his mind working visibly over the decision laid before him. A moment later, he shook his head and reached up, wrapping his arms around Steve’s neck to pull him down into a kiss. This kiss was different from the previous ones they had shared that evening; lingering for a long moment, Bucky tilted his head just right, his lips caressing Steve’s in a loving touch and pouring every ounce of adoration for the blond into it that he could. As he pressed up into the kiss, his lips parted and the tip of his tongue darted out to trace along the seam of Steve’s lips, begging silently for Steve to allow him entrance and complete the image of the two of them, kissing romantically in a rainstorm.

Steve shivered, though it wasn’t from the chill of the rainwater on his skin. He let his eyes drift shut at the touch, and his hands traced up his boyfriend’s back to clutch at his shoulder blades. The touch was electric, running up and down his spine in waves as the sounds of the Brooklyn street around them were drowned out into muted undertones. Nothing else mattered at that moment, except the kiss, and Steve found the corners of his lips quirking upward as he let his own tongue dart out to trace the inside of Bucky’s mouth in sweeping gestures.

All too soon, the kiss ended just as a soft roll of thunder echoed overhead. Breaking away, Steve leaned in, pressing his forehead to Bucky’s as he opened his eyes to really look at him. This close, their gazes locked as they held tightly to each other, pressed firmly together in their embrace. They would have stayed like this longer, just relishing the feel of each other’s arms around them, if not for the flash of lightening that lit the skies above them. With the storm growing around them, Steve offered up a crooked smile as he gestured with his head towards the stairs. “Time to go.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, his voice husky. Bucky pulled away first, reaching down and grabbing Steve’s hand to lead him inside and up to their apartment. The two of them made a find scene, dripping wet as they left puddle-footprints on the floor behind, and giggling up a storm as the chill of the air conditioning set into their wet clothing and making them shiver. By the time they got to his apartment, they were both trembling messes and in desperate need of a good drying.

The two of them worked in tandem the moment they got inside. Kicking off wet shoes and clothing as quickly as possible, they both stripped off in the bathroom and tossed their wet clothes into the shower before Bucky grabbed fresh towels to dry them both off. Still running high on the good vibes of the day, they took turns towel drying each other’s hair and stealing kisses from one another before they finally stumbled into the bedroom to collapse stark naked, into bed together. Tossing the towels to the floor, Steve quickly grabbed for the blankets and pulled them up over their waists as they curled into each other’s sides, warming themselves up as they cuddled under the thick blankets on Bucky’s bed.

There, they lay together, heads resting on the same pillow as they watched each other fondly. Steve reached up, cupping his hand over Bucky’s cheek before winking at him. “My mom really liked you, just so you know,” he said by way of breaking the silence around them.

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, I could kinda tell,” he chuckled as he pressed a kiss to the heel of Steve’s hand. “I think I’m gonna have bruises on my cheeks from how many times she kept pinchin’ ‘em.”

Steve flushed, shaking his head at the memory. “Yeah, she’s… she’s definitely old fashioned about things like that. I got the whole ear pinching thing when I was a kid and acting like a little shit. Cheek pinching is definitely her way of saying “I love you”. Though I don’t think you had to say a word for her to like you so much. I sent her a picture of you yesterday and she fell in love with you right away.”

Bucky frowned, looking up at him. “Huh? Whatdya mean?” he asked, utterly confused.

Steve smirked. He always thought his mom was a little eccentric. She had been ever since he was a kid, but… maybe she had been onto something after all. “So my mom’s kinda got this… I dunno how to describe it. Kind of like a sixth sense about emotions and stuff. She has this way of knowing things before they happen. She calls it her “Irish intuition”. She knew that she was going to be divorcing my dad way back when I was a kid... said it came to her in a dream. So when they separated a few years ago, it really didn’t come as a surprise.”

“So what does this have to do with me?” Bucky asked. It wasn’t biting, or sarcastic. From the look on his face Steve knew he genuinely was curious.

Steve laughed. “Well, that whole sixth sense thing? Last year, mom called me out of a sound sleep one night, all excited, and said she had a dream about my upcoming birthday.”

“And what did she say?”

Steve softened. He could see the rapture in Bucky’s eyes, the pure interest in what he had to say, and he chuckled. He remembered that night fondly. He’d been so annoyed that his mom had called him at two in the morning when he had to be up in three hours to open the bakery, but now… now he was grateful that she’d done it. “Well… she said that she had a dream about my wedding, and said that it was going to be postponed. Then she went on about how she saw me dancing with a brunet and wearing a ring. My brunet best friend, she said. I honestly didn’t think anything of it at the time, because Sharon had mentioned something about wanting to dye her hair brown for the wedding. But now…” Steve shrugged, looking down at Bucky.

“Holy cats,” Bucky laughed, shaking his head. “So she, like, predicted that we’d meet. That’s wild.”

Steve smirked, though he relaxed. He could see that Bucky didn’t quite believe him. That was okay by Steve. Even he was still a little skeptical of his mother’s supposed “vision”. Even still... the cancelled wedding, Bucky and Steve meeting and becoming best friends so quickly… it was definitely some pretty odd coincidences he couldn’t ignore. “Yeah… definitely wild.”

Bucky huffed and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He kept his arm wrapped around Steve’s shoulders, and his smile faded away just a little bit. The change was so abrupt, Steve could feel the room actually grow a little cooler around them. Almost like a shadow passing over him, Bucky’s smile faded away to a frown that darkened his blue-grey eyes just a little bit, a far cry from the happiness he’d exuded all evening.

Almost instantly, Steve could sense the anxiety washing over Bucky once more. His own smile faded away, and he propped himself up on his elbow to look down at him, silently wondering what had caused such a change in his boyfriend. “Buck? What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning deeply.

Bucky didn’t answer him right away. Instead, he sighed heavily through his nose, still staring at the ceiling above them. “I was thinkin’... when we were talkin’ with your mom earlier, she mentioned how proud she was of all the shit you’ve done, followin’ your passions and stuff. It made me think… lately, I was thinkin’ of wantin’ to do something, too. Like do more than just work at the garage all the time. I’d love to be able to do somethin’ to make you proud, and… and kinda get back into doin’ somethin’ I used to love.”

Steve listened to him, biting his lip. “And what’s that?”

Finally, Bucky looked away from the ceiling to meet Steve’s gaze again. “Lately, I been wantin’ to pull out my guitar and start playin’ it again. But it’s been so long, I dunno if I can do it, and I sure as hell can’t afford to take lessons to get back into it. But… I wanna do somethin’ to make you proud. You got your baking and yer like a mini celebrity here around. Everyone here knows your baking, and… and I wanna be able to show that I got somethin’ to offer too. That I’m more than just a mechanic, you know?”

Steve listened to him, his heart swelling. “Oh Bucky… You already make me proud,” Steve said. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back to give him a loving look. “You already make me _so_ proud, Buck, but if you want to pick up playing the guitar again, you should do it. There isn’t a damn person on this earth, including me, who should tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. So what if it’s been years since you played? You’ll be able to pick up again, I know it.”

Bucky listened, his eyes locked on Steve’s for a moment. “You really think so?” he asked, crooking a smile at him.

“I know so,” Steve said beaming at him. As he did so, a thought occurred to him. If Bucky wanted to play again, then there was no time like the present to try again. “Why don’t you play something for me? There’s just the two of us here… maybe that’ll make you a little more comfortable to try again.”

“You want me t’play somethin’ right _now_?” Bucky said. Sitting up, he gave Steve a nervous look. “But it’s been years, since I played anythin’-”

“And you’ll do great,” Steve said. He sat up, leaning against the headboard of the bed to give him a hopeful look. “You don’t have to if you really don’t feel comfortable enough to, but… if you want to get started again, why not try now? Maybe it’ll give you an idea of where you’re at, so you know where to go from there.”

Bucky hesitated. He wrung his hands together on the comforter, looking down at his lap as he mulled over the opportunity. At his side, Steve sat patiently, waiting for him to decide if he would play for him. Of course, Steve wouldn’t make him do anything. But a small part of him hoped that he’d get to see his boyfriend in action, especially if it made Bucky happy.

Finally after a long pause, Bucky looked up at Steve, a small spark of confidence in his eyes. “Okay. Lemme go get it. I got a small amp and stuff, but it’s all old, so it might not sound too great.”

Steve beamed, feeling a surge of excitement in his chest. He didn’t honestly know what to expect out of Bucky’s first attempt in years, but he couldn’t wait to see his lover take that first step back into a hobby he used to enjoy so much. “That’s okay. I don’t know anything about music anyway, so it’ll probably sound just fine to me.”

Bucky nodded, flashing him a smile before he crawled from the bed. Still as naked as ever, Bucky crossed the room and grabbed his guitar case from the lighted closet, a thin Ditto loop pedal, and a flat case with a small amp. He made quick work of setting up the amp, pedals and guitar, before taking a seat on the bench at the end of his bed. Bucky opted against using the shoulder strap as he sat down, his fingers working quietly as he mentally prepared himself and his beloved guitar for the task at hand. Giving the pegs a final twist to finish tuning the instrument, Bucky ran his fingers over the strings, listening to the notes plucked out with a careful ear to make sure the instrument was in-tune. “Uhm… sounds like it’s good,” Bucky said, giving Steve a nervous look. “You sure you wanna hear me butcher some song?”

Steve nodded, giving him an eager, supportive smile. “Yep. What song are you gonna play?”

Bucky thought about it, letting his nails pluck over the strings carefully as he mulled over the options. After a moment, he shrugged a shoulder, and looked down at the instrument in his lap. “This song was the first song I ever learned to play. I taught myself how after I recorded it on a cassette player while it was playin’ on the radio. It ain’t a hard song, but… lemme see if I can remember the chords…”

With that, Bucky began to pluck at the strings, sounding out the chords from memory, as his lips moved silently in some internal conversation with his younger self. Steve sat back, propping his hands behind his head as he watched his boyfriend fondly from the other side of the room. It took him far too long to recognize the chords as Bucky slowly formed them in his head, translating the notes into his fingers; the moment Bucky began to pick up confidence in himself, Steve perked up as his eyes widened in recognition.

“The Verve?” he asked, beaming at Bucky. “Shit, I _love_ this song.”

Bucky nodded, looking up at Steve through his lashes as his fingers grazed over the strings in repetition. Steve heard a click echo into the room, and he watched as Bucky’s hands stopped moving. To his surprise, the same riff continued to play through the amp, as Bucky rubbed his tender fingertips on the bedding before picking up pace once more. This time, as the amp continued to play the looped riff in the background, Bucky picked up a more complicated chord progression, strumming a little more firmly. He seemed right at home, his fingers dancing over the strings while muscle memory from years past had him playing the tune in seemingly effortless stride.

Steve was entranced, watching as his boyfriend sank into the depths of the music around them; as if the world didn’t matter at that moment, it was just Bucky and Steve while Bucky serenaded his love with the lilting, minor ballad of life in its never ending march through good and bad. As he broke into song, singing quietly along with the strumming of his fingers, his voice grew husky from being so unused to singing. Even still, his baritone song didn’t fail to make Steve’s skin tingle with delight. He never knew Bucky could sing so well…

Steve was so lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the song coming to an end. It was only when Bucky’s voice broke on the final chorus of this bitter sweet symphony that Steve opened his eyes to see Bucky staring down at his guitar like an old friend reacquainted. The smile on the brunet’s lips was wistful, almost melancholic, and Steve frowned as he sat up. It took him a moment to understand why Bucky had chosen that song. It wasn’t because it was simple or easy to play. He’d chosen it as his own way of showing Steve that he wished to break his own, self-imposed monotony of a life that had thrown him too many curveballs. This was his way to try and strive for something better, to become something to make Steve proud to claim him as his own. Steve didn’t like seeing that sad look on Bucky’s face, and there was no way he would let him feel that way a moment longer. He knew just what to say to light that spark again inside Bucky. He just hoped the brunet would listen to him.

“You should open a YouTube channel,” Steve said. When Bucky looked up at him in surprise, Steve offered him his brightest, most confident smile and nodded. “I’m not kidding. That was incredible. You’re such a good singer, you shouldn’t let that gift stay locked away. People want to hear good male singers. And you play guitar too. Double threat!”

Bucky listened to him, his eyes widening a little. “Y’really think people would wanna hear me sing and play?” he asked, looking awed by the thought. “But there’s already a shit load of people that make videos. What’s another person joinin’ the bandwagon gonna do?”

“Make more music and share in that gift,” Steve said, firmly. “There is no reason why you can’t join them. Who cares if there are tons of other people online doing it? Do what you love. You could have a hundred followers, or a million, and it won’t matter because you went out and did something you love without other people telling you what to do. And I’ll be proud as hell for you, no matter what happens.” Sitting up, Steve swung his legs out of the bed and reached out for Bucky’s hand. He waited patiently as Bucky carefully set the guitar back into the case before taking his hand and allowing the blond to pull him into bed with him. “Seriously, that was probably the most beautiful rendition of that song I’ve ever heard. If you want to share your music, then you should do it. You have my support, Buck. You know that, right?”

Bucky listened to him, his eyes locked on Steve’s chest. Steve could feel his uncertainty melting away with each moment, before finally glancing up to meet his gaze with a fire of growing determination in his own. “I’m gonna have to record this stuff on my phone first… until I can save up to buy a little recording mic. Maybe a better camera, too…”

“Or you can do it on a webcam in the meantime,” Steve said. His chest felt lighter than air, and a huge grin crossed his lips. Bucky was actually going to do it… he was actually going to pursue a hobby he loved for the first time in years! Steve couldn’t contain how happy he was for his boyfriend. “It’s gonna be great. You’re gonna be fantastic!” he giggled, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Hey now, I ain’t gonna be famous or anything,” Bucky groused, though his lips still quirked up in a half smirk as he was pinned back against the bed.

“I didn’t say you were. I’m just really happy for you that you’re going to do this.” Steve leaned up, propping himself on his elbows as he smiled down at him. “What do you think your friends are gonna say?”

“Knowin’ them, Nat’ll probably make me go and get one of them trendy haircuts so I don’t look like crap on camera,” Bucky said with a roll of his eyes. “Clint and Brock… they’ll think it’s cool, but Brock’s way too old fashioned and Clint’s just a gamer. Did you know he has no music on his phone? Like he don’t even have a favorite band. It’s a fuckin’ tragedy.”

“Ouch,” Steve said, making a face. “Gotta lay him off the console and drag him to a record store or something…”

“Let’s make a date of it,” Bucky said, grinning wickedly at him. With a quick motion, he had his arm wrapped around Steve’s shoulders and flipped them over so he was looming over the blond. With their legs tangled together, he leaned down until his arms were framing Steve’s shoulders, and he brushed his lips over his forehead. “Holy shit, I’m gonna open a YouTube channel…” he mused, seemingly stunned by his own decision.

Steve grinned, nodding up at him smugly. “Uh huh. And you’re gonna be one, sexy guitarist on camera. All the boys and girls are gonna swoon over your rugged appearance and piercings,” he teased him. Leaning up, he brushed his nose over the bridge of Bucky’s, nuzzling him as he grinned. “I better get a t-shirt that says ‘I’m with the guitarist’ so everyone knows you’re taken.”

Bucky scoffed, leaning down to nip at his lips sharply. When Steve yelped in response, he took the chance and delved in, pushing Steve into a kiss as his tongue pressed past the seam of his lips to lave inside eagerly. Steve shuddered at the commanding kiss, going pliant on the bed as Bucky licked and nibbled, caressing the warmth of the inside of his mouth before breaking off to leer at him. “Ain’t no way I’m gonna go runnin’ off with anyone. You’re my one and only groupie, Stevie. Get used to it.”

Steve laughed, still feeling lightheaded from the kiss. He let his leg wrap around Bucky’s thighs from behind, pulling their naked bodies closer until their groins were brushing in a provocative roll of their hips. “Yeah I know. I get to have sex with a hot rockstar on a daily basis. My life is kind of awesome.”

“Daily basis? Where didya get that prescription from?” Bucky asked, raising his pierced brow at him.

“Dr. Ruth said I should have sex with you every single day. Maybe twice a day if we can manage. I mean, I can’t argue with her, I think fucking you every day has cured all my ills. I even think there was a massive drop in world hunger since we started sleeping together.”

Bucky hummed, looking thoughtful as he let his own weight pin Steve to the bed. “Dr. Ruth huh? Well shit, babe, you’re down on a dose today. Maybe we should fix that.” Looking up at Steve, he flashed him a wicked smile before hiking himself up onto his elbows. As he did so, he let his fingers dance across Steve’s chest as he suddenly spoke, his voice high and shaky like a little old German lady, as he tickled him into the mattress. “Stroke ze penis! Make love to ze penis and alvways make time for ze very, very important rimming! Make love to your partner, and remember… using ze fingers is best vwhen prepping for ze _enormous_ _schwanzstucker_!’

Steve practically squealed, writhing beneath Bucky as his ribs were attacked mercilessly. Listening to his ridiculous impersonation as he assaulted him with tickles had Steve wheezing for breath as he attempted to bat his hands away from him. “You’re ridiculous!” Steve wailed, his shout broken by a loud cackle as he succumbed to the frankly hilarious moment between them. “Oh G-god! Oh God, stop! I can’t breathe! Help!”

“Vwhat’s ze matter, mein liebling?” Bucky laughed, still donning the outrageous accent as he leaned in. Pressing his lips to Steve’s throat, he blew a sharp raspberry against his skin, the sound loud, obnoxious and wet. This only proved to make Steve laugh even harder, the blond writhing beneath him uselessly as his legs and arms were pinned to the bed under Bucky’s onslaught. “Ist zis not vwhat you desire, little schnucki?” he asked, blowing a second time against his collarbone, harder than the first.

“I am gonna _pee on you_ if you don’t stop!” Steve managed to shout through his squeals, his cheeks dark red from laughing so hard. “Pee is not sexy! _Stop, my ribs hurt_! You’re a-awful, Buck, I hate you!”

Bucky finally relented, rolling off of Steve’s lap to let the blond get his breath back. Of course, the damage had been done, and Steve found himself launching from the bed to make a beeline for the washroom, shouting over his shoulder that Bucky was a jerk and how dare he, all to the chorus of Bucky laughing himself stupid. The whole moment was utterly ridiculous, and Steve couldn’t stop snickering to himself even as he relieved his overworked bladder before returning to the bedroom.

There, he found Bucky lounging on the mattress, still completely naked with his leg propped up to show off his dick as he flashed Steve a knowing smirk. “Feel better? I can’t believe I actually got you to almost wet yourself laughing, this time. I consider this a successful life mission, you know.”

“You’re an ass,” Steve snickered, crossing the room. Without grace, he flopped down onto the bed, pillowing himself on Bucky’s chest as he lay on top of him, feeling the half-interested line of his cock pressed into his stomach. “You’re so lucky I totally have a prescription for sex, otherwise you wouldn’t be getting any tonight.”

“Mmh, my lucky day,” Bucky said. Looping his arms under Steve’s, he hoisted him up the bed, pulling the blond into his lap so he was straddling him, their cocks lined up firmly as he pulled him down into a kiss. “I better hop to it then, before ya change your mind.”

“Yep, clock’s tickin’,” Steve said grinning as he kissed him back. His own hands splayed over Bucky’s chest and he thumbed over the buds of his nipples carefully. He felt the pert nubs spring back into place as he ran the pads of his fingers over them, and he felt a shudder lace through Bucky’s body at the gentle touch. Humming to himself, Steve nipped at Bucky’s lower lip, swelling the skin there before he tongued gently over the ring of silver in his skin. “But if you fuck as well as you kiss, I think I can make more time for you…”

“Oooh, that’s how we’re playin’ this?” Bucky asked, His voice was laced with challenge, and he gripped Steve’s ass firmly in his fingertips. Massaging over the mounds of his backside, Bucky allowed his fingernails to dig just the slightest bit into his skin before scraping over the sensitive skin there. As Steve hissed at the faint scratches on his ass, Bucky pried his cheeks apart before slotting his now fully erect cock between his cheeks to rub up against his hole. “Now I gotta prove myself? That’s mean, Stevie. Totally mean…”

“Mmgnh…” Steve whimpered. God, he was _so_ gone on this man if just the slightest touch against his hole had him shivering already. He rocked his hips back, feeling the silken slide of his dick between his cheeks as he moved to stroke them in tandem.

Beneath him, Bucky laughed, thrusting up in between his cheeks a little more firmly. The motion jarred Steve on his lap, and he tightened his grip on his ass, before letting go. A sharp ‘crack!’ echoed in the room as he smacked the flat of his palm over Steve’s asscheek, reddening the skin instantly. Steve gasped at the spanking, and Bucky cooed, soothing his fingertips over the faint burn. “What’s that, baby? I couldn’t quite hear ya…”

Steve swallowed thickly, looking down at Bucky with need burning red hot in his eyes. His own cock stood erect, brushing over Bucky’s stomach as he rocked on his lap to elicit more of those dangerous touches. He felt the brush of Bucky’s navel ring glide over the tip of his dick, and he stifled a moan as he looked down at his boyfriend with open need. “I need your cock inside me like five minutes ago, that’s what I said,” he growled. Capturing Bucky in another kiss, he pushed his hips back, silently demanding more attention from his boyfriend before he broke the kiss to give him a hopeful look. “Unless you _don’t wanna_ fuck me…”

“You stop those lies right now,” Bucky said. Pushing him to the bed, he pinned Steve beneath him, leaning down to nip and bite at his collarbone. As he did so, he reached out blindly for the side table, and grabbed the bottle of slick from inside the drawer. With an expert hand, he cracked the lid open and drizzled the cool, viscous fluid over Steve’s heated skin, before reaching down to slide his fingers through the mess. With a careful touch, he slicked up his fingers before pressing two into Steve’s body up to the base knuckles, twisting his hand to spread the lube out inside him.

“What kinda slander you gonna spread about me, huh babe?” Bucky asked. As he did, he quickly scissored his fingers inside him, stretching Steve’s hole with quick, efficient strokes. “Honestly, you sayin’ I can’t satisfy you? God, what would poor Dr. Ruth say?” he added, curling his fingers inside his furl to press against his sensitive prostate.

Steve cried out, arching off the bed. The prep was raw and fast, readying him for Bucky’s cock with a sense of urgency. Not that he was complaining in the slightest. If it meant getting to feel his lover split him in two that much faster, he would gladly take the rough and dirty prep. Rocking himself back onto Bucky’s fingers, he wrapped his legs around his waist before pulling him down to kiss at the column of his throat eagerly. “I would never say a bad word about you. You make me feel so good,” he purred into his ear. With a careful lick, Steve traced the tip of his tongue over the shell of Bucky’s ear, lapping at the scaffold piercing spanning across his ear before tugging on the pull of his stretched earlobe with his teeth. “C’mon, baby… you know you can fuck me with less prep than that.”

Bucky groaned, rocking his hips forward to glide the lengths of their cocks together. His fingers curled inside him again, spreading just a little wider as he speared up into his channel with fast finger-thrusts. “Y-yeah? You that desperate to feel me inside you, baby?”

“Goddamn... yes,” Steve said, breathing heavily. He grabbed at Bucky’s shoulders, pulling him closer to grind against his thigh. Fuck, he _was_ desperate. His cock was already throbbing for attention, leaking faint pearls of precome against their stomachs where he slid between them, and Christ, Bucky needed to hurry the fuck up! “C’mon, Buck… fuck me. Fuck me, please… lemme feel you baby.”

Bucky didn’t need any more prompting than that. With a growl of want, he withdrew his fingers from inside Steve and grabbed for the bottle of lube lying on the bed. As he cracked the lid again and poured a dollop into his palm, he looked down at Steve, his eyes hooded, dark and swallowed up by the inky black of his pupils. “On yer hands and knees…”

Without hesitation, Steve heeded his boyfriend’s command, and scrambled into position just as Bucky told him. As he did so, he looked up at him over his shoulder, grinning brightly as he wiggled his hips a little. “Well? You gonna get to it?” he asked, cheekily presenting his ass to him like a prize.

Bucky growled in the back of his throat, reaching out to run his hands over his backside. His palm was slick from where he’d lubed up his cock, the slick cool against his warm skin. Then, he pulled his hand back and let his palm smack down over his backside, before prying his cheeks apart. “Don’t gotta tell me twice,” he murmured under his breath. Holding to his promise, he scooted forward, butting the tip of his cock against the pucker of Steve’s hole and pressing against the faint resistance before rocking his hips a little harder.

Steve moaned as he felt the pressure of Bucky’s dick sliding into him. Like a glove made perfectly for him, he felt his boyfriend slide home, the length and girth of his cock splitting him in two with one, smooth glide. Gasping, Steve let his head hang forward, the pleasure enough to make his skin ripple with delight as Bucky seated inside him like he was made for him. In a way, Steve thoroughly believed he was. “Fuck… s-so good,” he panted, rocking his hips back to take him just a little deeper.

Bucky only grunted in response, his fingertips digging into Steve’s hips as he held him steady. Neither of them moved for a second, giving Steve a chance to get used to his girth inside him as Bucky hummed in his throat. “That’s good… God that’s so fuckin’ _good_ baby,” Bucky mumbled as he massaged his back. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Steve’s back, just between his shoulder blades before withdrawing slowly. “Want me hard? Or slow? Tell me what you want baby.”

Steve whimpered, feeling the liquid drag of Bucky’s cock sliding out him. When just the tip remained inside, he bit his lip before uttering a broken sound. “Oh God… hard. Fast. Fuck me, baby. Please!”

Bucky nodded, dragging his lips over his smooth skin before righting himself. With a moan of his own, he rocked his hips forward just a little bit, stretching him out for a second more before his fingers dug into his skin. “You got it, Stevie,” he growled into the room.

Without warning, Bucky’s hips snapped forward, picking up a fast, hard pace inside him as he drilled with reckless abandon into his body. The echo of skin slapping against skin filled the room around them as his cock filled him to the brim fast and rough. His fingertips dug harder into Steve’s hips, almost hard enough to bruise the flesh there, and he moaned outright as the fast friction laced through their bodies with liquid fire.

Steve gasped, digging his fingertips into the bedding as he fought to keep himself up on his hands. Feeling the deep penetration of Bucky’s dick inside him, sliding so fast and hard had the blond winded, as if the air was punched right out of him with each thrust. He cried out, arching his back a little as he felt Bucky’s cock tracing over his prostate, before one good thrust had his cock knocking into that tight, bundle of nerves with accuracy. Steve shouted, a strangled moan of pleasure escaping his lips as he was fucked so perfectly by his boyfriend. “O-oh God! F-fu-fuck, Bucky! _Yes, yes!_ ” he panted, arms trembling as he fought to keep himself up.

“Only for you baby,” Bucky panted. His hips never stopped their frantic thrusts, drilling deeply into Steve as they fucked to the percussive beat of their lust for each other. The air was muted to all sounds but their sex, the only other sound in the room being the faint squeak of Bucky’s bed frame straining under their vigorous actions. It did little to distract the two of them, however, as they were both lost to the sensations of their bodies, their sweat, and their love for each other.

Moments dragged by in blissful harmony as Steve slowly inched his way towards release. He was so wound up from their earlier tickle-fight, and the delight of seeing Bucky looking so happy, he could already feel the pull of his orgasm forming in the base of his spine. He could feel the slightest tremble in Bucky’s thighs as they slapped into the backs of his own legs. Shit… Bucky was already close too. The lack of preparation had definitely put them both on the edge, the tension and friction pushing them towards their ultimate release faster than usual.

It would have gone on for a few more minutes. It would have lasted just a little bit longer. If only Bucky hadn’t pulled his hair…

Still lost to the sensations, Steve fought like hell to keep himself upright. He, too, was trembling viciously, holding back his orgasm with all of his might. In doing so, he lost the strength to keep his head upright, focusing all his energy into pushing back against Bucky’s lap with everything in him. However, he didn’t have long to stare at the spot of blanket beneath them, which was quickly growing damp from sweat and precome.

He didn’t have long at all, because as suddenly as his head lolled forward, he felt Bucky’s fingers lace into his hair from behind, and _pull_.

“ _Ooooh FUCK!_ ” Steve shouted, as he felt Bucky pulling his hair firmly. The tug had his neck arching, using the flaxen strands of his hair as a handle to keep him upright. The tug was just shy of painful, pulling at his scalp and sending a lightning bolt of pleasure straight to his cock. That was all it took to push Steve over the precarious edge. Pulsing around Bucky’s cock, Steve came hard, his sight whiting out around the edges while he tumbled head over heels over the edge into oblivion.

For a moment, Steve knew nothing. The faint pain in his scalp from Bucky pulling his hair, the feeling of his orgasm awash in his body until he felt lighter than air… it was all sensory overload, and he slumped into the bed, still stuffed full with Bucky’s cock in his ass. He didn’t quite pass out, but he definitely did teeter on the edge, feeling the wet slide of Bucky pulling out of him, the warm, runny trickle of Bucky’s come leaking out and down his thigh, and the warm, comforting embrace of Bucky pulling him into his arms as he curled into his chest… these were all muted, grey overtones drowning out the burning, buzzing sensation of pleasure still firing through his veins.

It took Steve a few moments to come back to himself. When he finally did open his eyes, he found his face pressed into Bucky’s chest, and the feeling of his boyfriend gently brushing his fingers through his hair, soothing and drawing him back to the surface like he always did after they fucked each other into exhaustion. Steve shifted, brushing his lips over Bucky’s left pec, relishing the feeling of warm skin and salty sweat on his lips as he wrapped his own arms around his waist to hold tightly to him. “Fuck,” he said, quite politely. Shaking his head, he finally pried himself away from Bucky’s chest enough to give him a bleary look of contentment, and he grinned. “... fuck.”

“We jus’ did that,” Bucky said chuckling. “So apparently you like your hair bein’ pulled… like a lot.” To accent his point, he brushed his fingertips over his scalp again, rubbing the tender spot left behind from his fingers. Steve whined at the touch, bumping his head up into his touch to feel it against the sore area, and Bucky chuckled. “Fuck me, that’s kinda hot. But I gotta ask… are you makin’ it a habit to pass out every time we fuck? ‘Cause damn, I don’t think we can ever pull a quickie anywhere if you’re just gonna knock out on your feet if we try.”

Steve smirked. Looking up at Bucky, he offered him a reassuring look. “No, babe. I’m not gonna pass out every time… at least… I don’t think I am?” he added, looking curious. “I mean, it’s not my fault if you fuck so good you knock me out. That’s totally your blame.”

Bucky laughed, preening a little. “Yeah, I guess I am that good, ain’t I?” he teased him. Wrapping him up in his arms, he tugged Steve closer, the two of them lined up head to toe. It was warm, musky, and utterly perfect, and Steve couldn’t help but make a happy little noise as Bucky brushed his lips over his forehead. “So today was a fuckin’ good day,” Bucky added quietly. “Great food… your mom liked me. We had sex… I feel like I’m livin’ in a dream world.”

“Me too,” Steve said quietly. He allowed himself a moment to smile, looking utterly satisfied with life. Bucky had won the heart of his mom, which he knew hadn’t been hard at all. He got the greenlight from Sarah Rogers, and they were both ridiculously happy. But that still didn’t take away the fact that they still had one obstacle in the path of their relationship to hurdle; Bucky might have easily won the affections of his mother, but Steve had a long way to go to earn the trust of Bucky’s friends back. “Just wish I could convince your friends to trust me again…”

Bucky hummed quietly, but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he kept up that gentle massage, brushing his fingers over Steve’s scalp as he held him close. “I think they will… eventually. I mean, what happened was kinda a big deal for everyone. You get why, right?”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed, feeling a little down. He nuzzled into Bucky’s chest, allowing his eyes to drift shut as he tightened his grip around his waist. “I get it. I just hope it eventually does happen.”

Bucky nodded. Sitting up, he offered Steve a loving look before leaning down to press a kiss to his temple. “Don’ worry about it. What you should be worryin’ about right now is relaxin’ while I go get a rag from the bathroom to clean us up.” Crawling to his feet, Bucky offered Steve a loving look. “Don’ move, okay? I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t worry,” Steve said, waving him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

With that, Bucky disappeared, returning a few minutes later with a damp rag. He made quick work of cleaning them both up, before tossing the damp rag onto the floor. When he was satisfied with his work, Bucky crawled back into bed, pulling Steve into his arms, where the two of them nestled into each other. “I love you, Stevie,” Bucky mumbled into his hair. He exhaled through his nose, already beginning to drop off to sleep as he held him close. “Thank you for everythin’ this weekend… for everythin’ since we met.”

“I love you too, Bucky,” Steve said quietly. He allowed himself to close his eyes, to push the negative thoughts of Bucky’s friends from his mind and just sleep. Bucky was right. Eventually things would turn out alright. He just had to have faith.

He just had to have faith…

* * *

 

 

Additional note:

This [Youtube Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCLD0Y1_2uE) to a cover of Bitter Sweet Symphony is the closest I could find to the way Bucky played it in this chapter. Take a listen to hear Bucky's rendition of the song!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, Bucky would choose Bitter Sweet Symphony as his first song to play on guitar in a very long time. The sap...
> 
> I will say, the next chapter is going to be pretty rough to read, though not in the way you expect. You'll have some definite feels for a character suffering, though I will say that Bucky and Steve are totally safe this time, so don't worry about that. It's ANOTHER character that I'll be beating up on in the next chapter, and it's a surprising choice in my opinion. Stick around to see which character gets the drama this time! Happy reading, everyone, and don't forget to leave a comment on what you thought of this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [TUMBLR](http://steves--winter--boobear.tumblr.com/) MY FLOCK.


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